Unions oppose Edu Min move to appoint Sports Instructors to schools
View(s):A cabinet decision to appoint 3,850 Sports Instructors to schools island wide is facing opposition. A cabinet-approved proposal submitted by Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam this week enabled the ministry to go ahead with the plan.
Mr Kariyawasam said: “Their salaries are to be paid by the Central Government, so that Provincial Councils will not have to spend on their salaries.” He added that a training programme was to be arranged for those selected, and the chosen would be individuals who had proved their sports abilities at provincial or national levels. “Unlike teachers, these instructors are in a position to remain on the grounds and provide them with training.”
Mr Kariyawasam said they hope to go ahead with the plan as 3,850 individuals were already selected and awaiting appointments. However, Secretary, Ceylon Teachers Services Union, Mahinda Jayasinghe said they called the Ministry to stop the appointments as these Instructors were recruited against the Teacher Service Minutes (TSM).
“Our question is, when there are vacancies for some 4,000 Sports Teachers, why is the government trying to introduce Sports Instructors instead,” he said.
He alleged that the Ministry was trying to provide employment to persons politically affiliated, and that persons who had no sports qualifications had been selected.
“We should keep in mind that they are not teachers and have no responsibility towards students as they will lack training as teachers,” he said. He added that the Union does not mind appointing talented sports persons as teachers in the proper manner.
He said they would resort to trade union or legal action if the matter is not resolved within the week. The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said that they were also against the government’s decision to recruit Sports Instructors to government schools in violation of the TSM.
General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said that the TSM requires candidates appointed to the teaching post have sports qualifications in one of five National Colleges of Education (NCOE). Persons with a Degree from a university can also be recruited. He said Sports Instructors can be selected from NCOE graduates and the Sabaragamuwa University. The NCOE at Vavuniya and Batticoloa conducts Diploma courses for Sports Instructors in Tamil, and Bandarawela, Ruwanpura and Milwela NCOE conduct Diploma courses in Sinhala. The Sabaragamuwa University conducts Degree programmes in Sports Training.
Instead, he said there were moves to recruit persons with GCE Ordinary Level qualifications with a sports background. “This is wrong, we vehemently object to this,” he said.
The appointment of Sports Instructors to schools have been overdue by more than six months. (By Damith Wickremasekara and Chrishanthi Christopher)