Volunteer teachers in Batticaloa district demand permanent appointments

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 20:07 GMT]
Volunteer teachers in Batticaloa held a demonstration Wednesday from 9:00 a.m to 3:30 p.m in front of Batticaloa Zonal Education Office to draw the attention of the Ministry of Education to appoint them as permanent teachers. The Union of Volunteer Teachers in Batticaloa district handed a memorandum addressed to the Education Ministry to Batticaloa Zonal Education Director, A. M. E. Paul, to be sent through the Batticaloa Provincial Education Secretary.

The Union of Volunteer teachers said in the memorandum that they should be assured in writing the date on which their appointment will be made permanent, and if they do not receive a positive response to their request within ten days they will be forced to continue their demonstration mobilizing additional support to achieve their goals.

The memorandum also highlighted the fact that the volunteer teachers in Batticaloa who had been in service for many years have often and continuously been deceived by politicians and officials without appointing them as permanent teachers, the representative of the union said.

Altogether there are 159 volunteer teachers in Batticaloa district serving in Paddirippu, Kalkudaa and Batticaloa Zonal Education areas and about 50 of them took part in Wednesday demonstration.

Though this issue has been raised with the Chief Minister and the Governor of Eastern Province as well as the Sri Lanka Minister of Education, the volunteer teachers are yet to be made permanent in their posts, the union representatives further said.