40,000 teachers on leave daily

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

COLOMBO: Around 40,000 teachers are on leave daily out of the 200,000 teachers, said Education Minister Susil Premajayantha.

“The teachers have to be on duty only on 201 days per year. But 40,000 teachers are on leave daily. In other words, one out of five teachers is on leave every day. But others in Government service have to work on many more days,” he added.

He called for a change of attitudes among teachers. “Teaching is not a mere a job but a profession. They must be dedicated to their profession for the sake of building a better future for innocent students”.

The Minister said the Government allocates a considerable amount of funds for education each year. Nevertheless, the Ordinary Level result analysis in 2006 indicates that the pass rate is only 48 per cent.

Education Ministry sources said that this is not enough when considering the funds allocated for education. The Ministry plans to increase the pass rate to 55 per cent in the first stage.