Volunteer teachers threaten hunger strike

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 March 2003, 03:16 GMT]
The North East Province Volunteer Teachers' Consortium (NEPVTC) Wednesday issued a statement that it would extend its present sit-in protest in front of the provincial ministry of education in Trincomalee to a hunger strike from March 28 if the United National Front (UNF) government fails to grant permanent status to them before March 27, sources said.

The sit-in-protest in addition to fasting on rotation basis of the Northeast volunteer teachers entered 17th day Wednesday.

Tamil medium volunteers selected for permanent appointment after interviews held following cabinet approval by the past and present governments in the year 2002 are participating in the protest campaign, sources said.

Volunteer teachers from Killinochchi district in the Vanni region are expected to arrive Wednesday evening to join their Trincomalee collegues in the campaign, NEPVTC sources said.

NEPVTC in its statement condemned the latest stand taken by the government to hold another interview to grant permanent status to the one thousand Tamil medium volunteer teachers in the northeast province as reported in a section of the media quoting the Schools' Education Ministry Secretary Mr. H.M.Sirisena Tuesday.