Permanent govt jobs for 51,420 graduates

The government will grant 51,420 graduates, undergoing training in the state sector, permanent appointments next year in accordance with regulations pertaining to development service officers.

Arrangements have been made to assign them to ministries and departments by November 30. This was revealed at a conference of secretaries ministries, heads of departments and government agents presided over by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister John Seneviratne on Friday.

This is the largest number of graduates absorbed to the state sector under any government to strengthen the public service by obtaining their services to meet people’s needs at national and regional levels for accelerated development. The highest number of graduates (6,549) has been recruited from the Kurunegala district for this programme being implemented under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Among them are 414 Buddhist monks who will fill vacancies in the Education Ministry and other institutions. The graduate trainees who were recruited early this year are paid an allowance of Rs10,000 per month. Different ministries, departments, boards, corporations and other statutory bodies requested for graduates to fill vacancies in different fields.

The highest number of graduates (16,478) has been assigned to the Economic Development Ministry. They have already taken up assignments in 14,008 grama niladari areas in 324 secretarial divisions in the 25 districts to strengthen the rural economy on the advice of Minister Rajapaksa. In giving permanent appointments to graduate trainees, proposals to formulate a system to absorb diploma holders working as trainees and those recruited after December 31, 2011 (year of awarding degrees) will be presented to the government by a committee.

The main objective is to obtain the services of graduate trainees for the country’s development programmes and get them to act as liaison officers between the rural population and the government.

The Local Government and Provincial Councils Ministry assigned a large number of graduate trainees to all Provincial Councils in the country in accordance with their requirements.

In the Kurunegala, Kegalle, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Ampara, Matara, Galle, Hambantota, Kandy and Ratnapura districts where graduate trainees are in excess, they will be assigned to the nearest districts.

Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Public Administration and Home Affairs Deputy Minister Vijaya Dahanayake and Ministry Secretary P B Abeykoon were also present.