Funds for libraries delayed
View(s):The government had last week summoned around 2,000 school principals to Temple Trees to allocate money to school libraries but failed to hand over the funds.
It is learned that the principals who gathered from across the country went back empty handed and were told that the money would be credited to the School Development Society (SDS) account.
The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said the principals had travelled long distances to attend the function despite their busy year end schedule but were made to stand out without food or drinks for hours. They were also not given a monetary allowance for travelling long distances to attend the event. “They assembled early in the morning and were made to stand out for hours before they were taken in,” General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said. The event he said was politicised by politicians who were present at the function. Eventually he said they were handed some guidelines and told that that the money would be credited to the SDS account.
“This was highly unnecessary they could have done this by sending letters to the principals,” Stalin said. Around 25 principals were selected and given token cheques. The government has promised to give a sum of Rs.100,000 to Rs.600,000 to selected schools to replenish their libraries. The politicians present included Minister of Education, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and Rosie Senanayake.