Teachers Union to launch campaign

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 June 1999, 06:54 GMT]
The twenty thousand-strong Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union is to launch a trade union type campaign to achieve nine objectives, including the withdrawal of two text books being distributed to Tamil medium students in Sri Lanka, which it says are distorting the islandís history said sources.

The decision was taken at the working committee meeting of the CTTU held in Trincomalee on Wednesday and Thursday, the sources said.

As a first step, members of the CTTU. would stage a one-day strike in the north east province on July 2, by sending sick notes if the government failed to fulfil the nine demands, the sources said.

The decision, which was unanimously adopted, has been sent to the Sri Lanka President, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Governor of the Norh East Province.

Among the demands put forward by the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union are:-

Text books supplied to students, with the distortion of Tamils' history should be withdrawn immediately. New Tamil text books should be published and distributed among students.

The ban imposed on transporting equipment and other materials needed for teaching and learning in schools in Wanni area, controlled by Tigers, should be withdrawn immediately.

Sinhala or Muslim principals should not be appointed to Tamil schools. The authorities must ensure that Tamils will be appointed as principals.

Sinhala medium teachers should not be appointed in Tamil schools to teach English language.

All correspondence with Tamil teachers serving in other provinces except North East, should be in their mother tongue.

Action should be taken to pay a risk allowance to all teachers serving in the north east province for the year 1998 and 1999 without any delay.