News
2015 Budget’s Education sector benefits are baseless promises for Presidential poll: Unions
View(s):The 2015 Budget which contained several benefits for the Education sector, came under fire as several unions alleged that the Government had dashed the hopes of Principals, teachers and the education sector as a whole.
The 2015 Budget presented to Parliament on October 24, allocated a series of benefits to the Education sector, including promotions to teachers, an increase in Mahapola Scholarship and an allowance to students from low income families. However, several unions bared its flaws and charged that the Budget was full of baseless promises eyeing the upcoming Presidential election.
Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) Secretary, Joseph Stalin pointed out several flaws in the 2015 Budget.
Speaking to the Education Times he said, “The President, in his Budget statement, mentioned that 1,000 Secondary schools and 5,000 Primary schools will be developed. However, while doing so, the President effectively managed to conceal the injustice caused to the remaining 3,905 schools. Further, in this statement, the President had managed to give credence to the fact that all 9,905 schools islandwide, will not receive equal development in the coming year.”
Mr Stalin added, “Even though the Budget has mentioned the grant of service payments for teachers and principals, the reality of the situation is that these payments were proposed by the Government in 2008, and in fact, rejected by the Unions.”
“Granting payments of Rs 2,200 to government servants, while promising them salary increments of Rs 10,000, and also promising motorcycles to teachers, but taking no action to implement these proposals, clearly points out that the Government hopes to carry out its campaign for the Presidential election by giving baseless promises,” he alleged.
Earlier, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in his Budget speech, “Pre-school teachers will also receive an allowance of Rs 2,500. We will also create a loan facility of Rs 10,000 for these teachers, for their day-to-day needs.”
“An Education Ministry newspaper advertisement on October 25, stated that the Ministry will grant all promotions due since 2008, whereas the Gazette stated that only promotions due from 2011 will be granted. This is clearly misleading these teachers and the people,” Mr Jayasingha said.
“As a Union, we hope to take steps to curtail these false promises and bring justice to the Education sector,” Mr Stalin said.
Ceylon Teacher’s Services Union (CTSU) Secretary, Mahinda Jayasingha pointed out, “Teachers’ promotions had been suspended since 2008, but the Budget states that they would be paid from November 2011. This is a three-year loss of arrears.”
He added, “The Rs 40 billion needed to pay these arrears have not been allocated in the 2015 Budget.”
Mr. Jayasingha charged that the President had earlier made similar promises to grant promotions and arrears, prior to the Presidential election in 2010, but not granted for the last four years.