Teachers get their salary arrears

Dharma Sri Abeyratne and Subashini Senanayaka

The Education Ministry will settle all teacher salary arrears of Rs 270 million has been allocated for this, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said.

Accordingly, the issue, which had been dragging on for over seven years will be resolved. Teachers in national and provincial and Pirivena schools will receive their salary arrears with immediate effect. The salary arrears of 3,918 teachers, who represented national and provincial schools and Pirivenas were settled yesterday at the Education Ministry.

The others will receive their cheques in due course. Under this scheme, Rs. 145 million has been allocated for National schools and Rs. 76 million for the Provincial schools. The allocation for Pirivenas is Rs 49 million. Altogether Rs 270 million will be allocated for all the nine provinces in the country.

The Provincial Education offices will take steps to pay the salary arrears of the teachers through the Zonal Education offices no sooner the Provincial Education offices receive the allocations.

The Education Ministry paid salary arrears of certain teachers allocating a sum of Rs 40 million last year. On the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa the government made this allocation to settle a resolve a long standing grievence of the teachers. The government has accorded due respect the recognition to the teachers. A teacher only second to god.