President resolves Uswewa Junior School teacher shortage

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday took steps to fill teacher vacancies at Uswewa Junior School in the Hambantota district. The school had a teacher shortage for a considerable time.

A media release from the President's Media Unit said while the President was moving with the Uswewa school children who had come to the Temple Trees, Grade Five Student Sasindu Hettiarchchi had drawn the attention of the President to the lack of sufficient teachers at the school..

The student told the President that the Junior section of his school had no teachers to teach English, or science subjects. Having listented to the student's plea for teachers , the President directed the latter to make the complaint to Chandima Rasaputhra, the Southern Provincial Minister Education through the President's mobile phone. The President then issued orders to the Southern Province Education Minister to take immediate steps to fill the teacher vacancies in that school which prevailed for a long time. The students then expressed their gratitude to the President for his prompt action.

The Uswewa Junior College conduct classes from Grade One to Grade Eleven and the teaching staff consist of 16 teachers. Though the school had enlisted about 380 students earlier it has come down to 258 student at present due to the shortage of teaching staff, the Principal of the College W.G. Ratnayake said.

The Principal added that though the school has constantly reminded the Education Director of the Southern Province about the teacher shortage it was not resolved until the President took the positive steps to fill the vacancies