End of the era of unemployed graduates - SB

The era when graduates suffered due to unemployment has come to an end, Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake said.

Addressing a ceremony at Dawulagala D B Wijetunga Conference Hall to grant permanent appointment letters to newly recruited graduate trainees to the public service in Udu Nuwara Divisional Secretariat Division recently, the minister said public servants account for 14 percent of the total number of workers in Sri Lanka.

He said this percentage in developed countries is only about one or two percent. The minister said the government was happy that it could absorb graduates into the public service even under many difficulties.

"The public service has expanded in our country. The World Bank wants to cut down the number of public servants to 400,000. It is under such constraints that we manage to carry out this recruitment," Dissanayake said. He said his endeavour is to create more demand and value to graduates passing out of universities in the future.

Minister Dissanayake said the appointments are made to make the best use of the country's human resource.

He requested the newly recruited graduates to work in corporation with the agrarian officer, Samurdhi officer, Grama Niladari officer and other officers in the public service. The minister requested them to perform their duties with commitment and enthusiasm to uplift the living standards of the people.