635 Moulavi teachers to be appointed

Mohammed NAALIR

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha who met a delegation from the Sri Lanka Muslim Council promised to take urgent action to appoint 635 Moulavi teachers in the Tamil and Sinhala mediums. This is to overcome the teacher shortage faced by the Muslim community.

Five hundred and ninety five Tamil medium and 40 Sinhala medium teachers will be appointed.

The Education Ministry has made arrangements to call for applications from qualified candidates in January. The new Moulavi teachers will be recruited within the first term, a member of the delegation and Presidential Advisor A.H.M. Azwar said.

Azwar pointed out that the appointment of Moulavi teachers was a long felt need of the Muslim community and no moulavi teacher appointment was made since 1994.

During the meeting Minister Premajayantha promised the delegation to set up a Presidential Commission to look into the education problems of the Muslim community.

He also said that during a meeting with All Ceylon Muslim Education Conference (ACMEC) representatives President Mahinda Rajapaksa pledged to set up a commission to look into the education problems of the Muslim community. Azwar further said that Education Minister Premajayantha would take measures to set up the Commission soon.

The meeting with the Education Minister had been organised by Parliamentarian and Senior Advisor to the President Basil Rajapaksa. President of Sri Lanka Muslim Council Al Haj N.M. Ameen, Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana, All Ceylon Muslim Education Conference Secretary Adham Bhawa, Moulavi Mubarak Abdul Majeed and Secretary to the Western Province Governor Ahmed Tharik also participated.

The names of South Eastern University Chancellor Jazima Ismail, Vice Chancellor Hussain Ismail, former Secretary to the Muslim Cultural Affairs Ministry S.H.M. Jameel and S. Hajarjan have been nominated by the All Ceylon Muslim Education Conference for the Presidential Commission.