Ampaa'rai teacher transfer scheme suspended

[TamilNet, Saturday, 30 April 2011, 03:06 GMT]
The teacher transfer scheme scheduled to come into effect from May 1 in the Ampaa'rai district in the eastern province has been put off following protests from the teachers’ trade unions, according to education sources. Provincial Director of Education Mr.M.T. Abdul Nizam had earlier ordered that all excess teachers should be transferred from May 1 to schools in other districts that suffer due to shortage of teachers.

Teacher trade unions protested that the transfer scheme had used racial and political preferences.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Tamil Teachers Union (CTTU) said such transfer scheme is not suitable to the north and eastern provinces that had been devastated in the three decade old war.

Furthermore, the General Secretary of the CTTU, Mr.T.Mahasivam, said that the transfer scheme that differentiates national and provincial schools cannot be accepted and that attention should be given not only to the education of students but also to the welfare of the teachers in formulating a transfer scheme.

All Ceylon Government General Employees Union President Mr.S.Loganathan said that the transfer of teachers in the middle of the year out of Ampaa'rai district could cause immense social and economic hardships to their families.