"Ministry discriminates Tamil medium teachers" - CTTU

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 March 2002, 19:13 GMT]
The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) has informed the United National Front (UNF) government that it would launch trade union action if its fifteen demands are not met by March 25. The demands included that the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs should take immediate steps to stop all discriminatory acts of the Education Services Board (ESB) against the interests of Tamil medium teachers in the country. The Education Services Board comes under the purview of the Public Services Commission.

The General Secretary of the CTTU Mr.T.Mahasivam in a memorandum to the Minister Dr.Karunasena Kodithuwakku said that the ESB has thoroughly failed to solve the problems of Tamil medium schools. The ESB has given promotions to 195 Sinhalese to Class 1 of the Sri Lanka Principal Service but one each to Tamil and Muslim. The ESB has now stopped giving promotions to Principals according to ethnic ratio.

"A special examination was held as decided by the former Education Minister to recruit Tamil medium Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service officers to fill vacancies exist in the northeast province. But the ESB has canceled the examination. The government should take steps to appoint Class III SLAES officers based on the special examination results," the letter states.

The memorandum further states:

"The ESB appoints Sinhalese principals to Tamil schools in the other provinces except northeast. This should be stopped forthwith and action should be taken to fill principals' vacancies with Tamil teachers.

"A Tamil member should be appointed to the ESB immediately.

"Action should be taken to appoint three thousand teachers to northeast Tamil medium schools according to a Cabinet decision of the then Peoples' Alliance government. The ESB has now suspended giving appointments to three thousand teachers. This suspension should be lifted immediately."