Sixteen education sector TUs to support President

Sixteen Education Sector Trade Unions have pledged their support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure his victory at the forthcoming election. They announced their decision at a press conference held in Colombo on December 26.

Union representatives addressing the press conference said the President had not only liberated the country from terrorism but solved several problems in the education sector during the last four year.

The Mahinda Chintana in particular had further enhanced free education and on the President’s initiative, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha had implemented several measures to enhance and protect free education.

They said some of these measures included the establishment of a systematic marks system for school admissions, doubling of the year five scholarships, prompt issuing of school textbooks, uniforms and Teacher guide manuals, recruitment of more than 30,000 people including graduates to teaching cadre, enhancing facilities at College of Education and Teacher Training Colleges granting funds to pay salary arrears to teachers, taking steps to eradicate teacher salary anomalies setting up of computer laboratories in 5,000 schools and improving the Isuru Pasal scheme.