Tamil schools close in protest

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 May 2002, 12:44 GMT]
More than 90% of Tamil medium schools did not function Friday in the north and east when over twenty thousand teachers and principals staged a one-day token strike putting forward a list of demands to the Sri Lankan government. Students also stayed away from their schools.

Whilst the demands were mainly concerned with the poor conditions of work, staff shortage and lack of financial support for Tamil schools, they also included a call for the immediate removal of ban on the Liberation Tigers and the full implementation of the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

Mr. T. Mahasivam, General Secretary of the CTTU told TamilNet that over nineteen thousand teachers and four thousand principals did not attend schools Friday after sending sick note as the Ministry of Education had failed to consider their demands.

He said that a CTTU delegation had met the Minister of Education and Human Resources Development Mr. Karunasena Kodituwakku during the first week of April at the latter's office.

"The Minister promised to implement nine demands, which included the payment of salary arrears to teachers, and to appoint three thousand Tamil medium teachers to northeast schools before the commencement of second school term,” Mahasivam said.

“The Minister further promised to meet the CTTU delegation later in the month to sort out the other demands. However the Minister had failed to keep all promises given to the CTTU. Hence the one day token strike by CTTU," the CTTU official said.