Schools reopen today

Primary schools with less than 200 children were reopened today (21) after a nearly six-month-closure due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The schools have been reopened amidst the teacher trade union (TU) actions over salary anomalies. However, with the government reopening schools, teacher trade unions are making opposing statements saying that some are continuing the TU action while the others have agreed to start teaching at schools.

 The General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union, Joseph Starlin said that they were continuing trade union action successfully. He said that even though provincial politicians, their supporters try to force teachers to schools teachers have not come to schools.

He pointed out that even parents, knowing that teachers who take responsibility over their children were not present at schools, were not sending their children. As a result, a small number of students have attended schools.

General Secretary Ceylon Teachers' Services Union, Mahinda Jayasinghe told that 99 per cent of the teachers have not reported to work due to their trade union actions.

He said that the strike was a success and that they were able to show the government that schools couldn’t be re-opened without teachers, and added that they would report to schools and re open schools on Monday, 25 to show the government that the teachers were essential to keep schools working.

(Pix by Jayarathne Wickramaarachchi, Hiran Priyankara, Sunil S Thanthriarachchi & Indika Handuwala)