CTTU to raise troop presence near schools with Minister

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 January 2006, 15:47 GMT]
Mr.Susil Premajayanth, Minister of Education has invited the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) for a meeting on February 7 afternoon to discuss its several demands including the demand that soldiers of the State armed forces should be withdrawn fifty meters away from schools in the northeast province, and also to vacate schools now occupied in the high security zones in Jaffna district. The meeting is to be held at the Education Ministry in Colombo, sources said.

Mr.Susil Premajayanth soon after assumed duties as the Minister of Education following the presidential poll held on November 17 last year met delegations of several other teacher trade unions except the CTTU.

He earlier agreed to meet the CTTU delegation but later it was postponed, sources said.

CTTU sources said at the next week meeting several important demands would be taken for discussion. These include,

• The establishment of separate Tamil Education Unit in the Ministry of Education,
• A branch of the National Institute of Education should be set up in the northeast province,
• Preparation of textbooks in Tamil medium should be handed over to Tamil scholars,
• Translating Sinhala medium text books in Tamil language should be stopped forthwith, and
• Appointment of Sinhala Principals to Tamil medium schools should be terminated immediately.

The CTTU already submitted to the Education Ministry, sources said.