War zone postings fail to enthuse

[TamilNet, Friday, 17 July 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Many unemployed graduates from Batticaloa who had staged protests, including a fast to death last week, in order secure employment as graduate teachers, are refusing to serve in schools in the outlying areas in the Batticaloa District, said sources in Batticaloa.

The prospective school teachers had shown a particular aversion to serve in areas such as Vakarai, Palukamam and Kokkadicholai, said the sources. The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and the LTTE often clash in these areas.

The attitude of the assignees has created a problem for the administrators who had allocated them to Schools, said officials.

"This will deprive the children studying in schools in the difficult areas," said S. S. Manokaran, Director, Further Education, Ministry of Education, Northeast Provincial Council.

Of the 204 teacher appointments allocated to the Batticaloa District, 194 had been assigned by July 15, while the remainder are to be allocated by the 20th.

Of the 194 appointments to date, 132 are arts graduates, 60 graduates in the biological sciences and two in commerce.