SL military appropriates 54 acres of Palaali Training College

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 December 2011, 20:46 GMT]
Sri Lankan Defence Ministry has set afoot plans for grabbing the lands of Palaali Teachers Training College, one of the two key academic institutions of Tamil teachers in the North, for military purposes. The latest move by Colombo to appropriate the 54 acres of the land situated near the Palaali airport in the High Security Zone and to possibly annex the personnel of the institution with Koappaay training college, has drawn severe reactions from the educationalist and academic circles as well as the civil society in the North.

The training college at Palaali was displaced in 1990, following the military operations by the Sri Lanka Army in Valikaamam North.

The college, providing training in various fields such as Science, Mathematics and language, was moved to the private school building of Muththuthampi viththiyaalayam at Thirunelveali in Jaffna and has been functioning there without basic facilities.

Many teachers from East, including Muslims, undergo training in both the training colleges in North.

Koappaay Teachers' Training College in Valikaamam East is located 400 meters from Irupaalai junction, situated 6 km north of Jaffna city.