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Teachers threaten legal action against principal recruitment

03 Jan 2022

By Buddhika Samaraweera The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has warned that if the Government’s decision to recruit more than 4,700 principals without holding a competitive examination is not reversed within two weeks, they will go to the Supreme Court (SC) against the relevant authorities. Speaking to The Morning yesterday (2), CTU President Priyantha Fernando said the Government’s decision to recruit around 4,750 principals in defiance of the recruitment procedure mentioned in the relevant service minute was a serious injustice to the teachers who are hoping for promotions and those who are already in the service of principals. “This is an attempt by the Government to give principals appointments solely on the basis of political affiliations. If the relevant competitive examination is not held, ordinary teachers will not be able to get promotions to the principals’ service. Also, according to the service minute, those above the age of 50 are not allowed to apply for the post of principal, but with the Government’s recent plan, those up to the age of 57 have been allowed to apply for the post,” he claimed. Alleging that promotions in the field of education were given on the basis of political affiliations some time ago, Fernando said the present Government was trying to create such a situation in the education field again, which would adversely affect the teachers, principals, and students in many ways. Ministry of Education Secretary Prof. Kapila Perera was not available for comment. Speaking at a media briefing held last Thursday (30 December 2021), CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin claimed that the Education Ministry is preparing to give permanent appointments to 4,718 persons who are currently serving as acting principals, violating the due process of recruiting suitable candidates for the post of principal. “There is a service minute related to the principal’s service. It states the procedure for recruitment. Accordingly, a competitive examination should be held for the recruitment of principals. Eligible candidates are then selected only after conducting an interview with double the number of recruits,” he said. However, he alleged that the Education Ministry-led authorities are currently preparing to recruit principals by conducting only interviews, without holding a competitive examination.


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