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Primary teachers’ training programme gets zero grading from teachers
A 300-hour training programme, costing Rs. 130 million for primary school teachers that was first launched in the Western Province is to be launched in the North Central Province amidst criticism from teachers in both provinces.
Teacher union sources told the Sunday Times that teachers in both provinces were warned that failure to attend the course would affect their salary increments. Western Province teachers also charged that they were given short notice about the programme.
“The teachers were informed of the programme which commenced on August 2, only on July 31. They were also threatened that they would be penalised in different ways if they failed to take part in it,” Sri Lanka Teachers’ Services Union General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe said.
He claimed that the programme has not been a success as many of the primary teachers were involved in preparing students for the grade five scholarship examination or were invigilating at exam centres and some of the teachers who have been selected are about to retire.
Mr. Jayasinghe said also that the training programme was clashing with the ongoing Post Graduate Diploma for teachers.
Teachers in the North Central Province have been asked to attend the training programme that begins tomorrow at the Vavuniya Training College. The teachers who were selected had received letters signed by the North Central Province Education Information Technology and Cultural Affairs Ministry Secretary, R. K. Premasiri.
The Sunday Times learns that these letters carried the warning regarding salary increments. “They have included Saturdays, Sundays and a Poya day in this training which is unfair by the teachers. Teachers who are over the age of 40 have also been selected for this programme. It is hard for them to undergo the physical training which is a part of it,” a teacher from the North Central Province who has been selected complained.
He said some of them who have been chosen for the programme are not even from the primary section, which shows that the programme lacked proper planning. Commenting on this Ceylon Teachers’ Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said forcing teachers to participate in a programme was not fair.
“We are not against such a programme, but we don’t approve the way it is implemented. The ministry failed to contact the teachers’ unions regarding this matter. If they did we could have given our ideas to make it a success. Now all they are doing is wasting the money of the general public for a lost cause,” he said.
Mr. Stalin said that in Colombo even though there were four training centres at the beginning, only one is in progress now.
However Western Province Education Minister, Prasanna Ranatunga, said 80% of the teachers who were selected were participating in the Western Province programme. He said those who couldn’t attend it, those involved in Grade 5 scholarship preparatory work and those who are invigilating at exam centres would be joining the second stage of the training programme.
He said that of the teachers in the Western Province 49% were not trained and this programme was aimed at fulfilling this need.
Mr. Ranatunga said the training programme would not affect the salary increments of the teachers. However he added, “Those who fail to take part in it will be put to areas that lack teachers. So we do not see any problem in this course. It will help our teachers.”
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