Jobs for 17,000 graduates

Taking public administration to grassroots:

Rasika SOMARATNA and Dulshani GUNAWARDENA

The Government has decided to provide employment to over 17,000 unemployed graduates, Finance and State Revenue Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said yesterday.

The majority of the unemployed graduates, 14,000 would be appointed at the Grama Niladhari level as Jana Sabha Secretaries in pursuance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s policy of taking public administration to the grass roots level and 3,174 unemployed fine arts graduates will be appointed as teachers for their respective subjects, he said.

A sum of Rupees one million seven thousand two hundred (Rs. 1,007,200) has been allocated by the Vote on Account for wage payment of graduates to be employed in the state sector.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Minister of Finance, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya stated that the 17,000 graduates to be employed by the Government would receive a substantial salary in the MN4 range (Rs.15,215 to Rs.25,965). The recruitment will be on a permanent basis, that will include pension rights and other fringe benefits that all Govt. employees receive.

The recruitments will be made with the utmost transparency, with a gazette notification and newspaper announcements made within the coming two weeks.

The selected graduates will receive appointments as teachers of fine arts and ‘Jana Saba Lekams’, a new concept introduced under the ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’ that will engage graduates in the country’s development process.

Explaining the new appointments of Jana Sabha Secretaries, he said they were to play a pivotal role at village level and would coordinate and oversee the development plans being implemented by the Government.

The Jana Sabha akin to the Gam Sabha of the ancient village level body that resolved the problems at village level, will be a revival of the traditional grass roots management that would empower people to decide their own plans of development and contribute their views to the administrative and planning process.

Official sources said the unemployed graduates to be appointed were in the age group of 22-35 and preference in appointing Jana Sabha Secretaries would be given to graduates residing in or close to the villages of the Jana Sabhas.

During recent times unemployed graduates demanding public sector employment staged protests. The Government had held several rounds of discussions with unemployed graduates and some political parties were trying to achieve political mileage over the issue, he said.