News
Staff in key school roles demand permanent positions
View(s):By Nathara Abeywickrema
School development officers across Sri Lanka have called for their inclusion in the Sri Lanka Teacher Service as permanent employees. These officers, who have been fulfilling teaching roles for years without official confirmation, emphasise the urgency of addressing their concerns to ensure a fair and efficient education system.
Joint Teachers’ Services Union General Secretary Amila Sandaruwan, highlighted the critical shortage of teachers in provincial councils and village schools.
The recent protest by School development officers in front of the Education Ministry
He explained that in many rural schools, a single teacher is often forced to teach five different subjects due to the lack of specialised educators. “This situation is unfair to the students and undermines the quality of education they receive. Despite these challenges, the government has yet to address the issue meaningfully,’’ Mr Sandaruwan said.
He proposed four key measures to tackle this shortage: recruiting school development officers into permanent teacher roles, addressing the mismatch between qualifications and job roles (such as graduates serving as Grama Niladharis), hiring unemployed graduates, and implementing a proper recruitment mechanism. Sandaruwan stressed that development officers have been serving as de facto teachers for five years without being confirmed in their job.
Failing to regularise their roles would waste public funds spent on their education.
He suggested holding a dedicated examination that prioritises these officers for recruitment into teacher services.
Dinidu Bandara Weerasekara, convener of the All Ceylon School Development Officers’ Union, pointed out that officers have been working as teachers for five years under the same title and salary, despite making significant contributions.
He expressed concerns about plans to hold an open examination for recruitment to teacher services, arguing that such a process could overlook the experience and training of development officers.
“Development officers have undergone extensive training and gained invaluable experience over the years, making them highly capable of handling their roles as teachers. Recognising their contributions and providing a pathway to permanent placement would be both fair and practical,” Mr Weerasekara noted.
Joint Development Officers’ Union General Secretary, Dhammika Munasinghe, emphasised the need for vacancies to be gazetted and filled through a proper recruitment process. He said that if there are no solutions, they, along with several other unions, will approach the Ministry of Education tomorrow.
Education Ministry secretary, Nalaka Kaluwewa, confirmed that a Cabinet-appointed committee is reviewing the concerns raised by school development officers. The committee will make recommendation on not only the development officers’ issues but also broader challenges within the education sector, including those affecting administration services, provincial councils, and teacher services.
Mr. Munasinghe pointed out that unions were not included in the Cabinet committee, though he remained optimistic.
In response, Mr. Kaluwewa assured: “Input from relevant unions will be considered as part of the decision-making process to ensure comprehensive solutions.”
The focus now shifts to implementing reforms that provide school development officers with the recognition and security they deserve.
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