{"id":118992,"date":"2021-10-07T17:13:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T00:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=118992"},"modified":"2021-10-07T17:13:06","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T00:13:06","slug":"who-is-responsible-for-the-future-of-4-3-million-students-in-this-country-the-government-or-the-truant-teacher-band-on-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2021\/10\/07\/who-is-responsible-for-the-future-of-4-3-million-students-in-this-country-the-government-or-the-truant-teacher-band-on-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is responsible for the future of 4.3 Million students in this country? The Government, or the truant teacher band on strike?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara.<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

This is a copy of a letter addressed\nto the Secretary of the Ministry of education, Sri Lanka by a concerned citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara. Former Secretary to PM Sirimavo Bandaranayaka,\u00a0 Sec. Ministry of Technical Education and Addl Sec Ministry of Education.7.10\/2021<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mahanuwara<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nSecretary Ministry of Education<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Secretary, Prof Kapila, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am writing this note to you as a\none-time teacher, a Principal of a school, Secretary Ministry of Technical Education\nand Additional Sec to Ministry of Higher Education to draw your immediate\nattention to the month\u2019s old Joseph Stalin\u2019s teachers strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is now almost three months for\nthis comic and stale drama dragging on without a solution. This raises a most\nfundamental question. Is there a Government in this country today? 4.3 million Students\nat home but without a teacher to teach. Conversely 140.000 teachers on strike\nnot attending to their work, engaged in Island wide protest demonstrations asking\nfor higher salaries. But getting their full salaries regularly paid from public\nfunds without any return to education for the money they get. How long are we\ngoing to tolerate this situation as a nation is the million dollar question?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a concerned citizen and a retired senior\npublic servant I am deeply surprised as to why the Government is not taking any\naction to settle this problem by talking to them face to face and offering a\nreasonable solution on the premise that they have a genuine grievance. It is a\nfact that here is a big anomaly between the salaries paid to them and the\nsalaries paid to some other public servants due to haphazard decisions taken by\nsome Ministers of all governments. But one must realize that the salaries\nof    one category cannot be changed overnight\nwithout looking in to the salary structure of the entire public Sector.  This takes time. It is the bounden duty of\nthe Government to revise such salary schemes at least once in every five years.\nIf the politicians think it is only their salaries and other benefits and those\nof their favorites that need regular increases, then that is a sad mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless I don\u2019t agree what the\nteacher community is doing and the way they are doing it. After all teaches are\nan intelligent and responsible part of the society not only in disseminating\nknowledge to children but also setting an example to the whole society as to\nhow they should behave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand teacher also should\nunderstand that they work only five hours a day, five days a week and nine\nmonths a year. But they get paid for the whole year. As such it is not correct\nfor them to compare their salaries with those of other categories some of them who\nwork practically every day eight hours and throughout the year with no long\nvacation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Another factor standing against their action\nis the timing. They being an accepted intelligent and a disciplined segment of\nthe society should understand the ethic and morality of behaving like thugs and\nilliterate hooligans exposing their nudity on the public highways. These\neducated and intelligent teachers must also look at the quality and social\nstanding of the trade union leaders who take them on a blind alley leading to a\ndead end where they will end despised and ridiculed by the society. Therefore\nIn my opinion it is time for them at least now to open their eyes and minds and\nalso hearts as an intelligent and responsible segment of the society who are\nwedded to an honorable and noble job to re-think twice and reconsider  their folly and return to work immediately\nwithout degrading this noble profession any more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile it is also noteworthy as to\nhow Tamil, Muslim and international schools are running without any\ninterruption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I also request them to look at the way how the\nmembers in the health sector and the members of the Three Forces work, rather get\nkilled\u2019 physically and mentally, often keeping their lives at high risk, day\nand night to save the nation from the present Covid disaster. Therefore it is\nhigh time for the teachers to change their hard attitudes at least now and\nreturn to what I call A teacher\u2019s mental framework\u2019 and avoid getting stoned\nand manhandled by the unruly public mob, and finally condemned by the entire\nsociety. This was the impression of what will happen in few days to come, I got,\nas I was watching yesterday\u2019s news over the TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr Secretary  I suggest you address these teacher community\nin this vein and language and request them to report back immediately within 3\ndays  promising them justice so that you\ncan reopen the schools filled with children and teachers on the 22 of this\nmonth. Thensanity will return to schools once again without getting\ntarnished, thereby preserving the image of one of the noblest professions in\nthe world. As for me I am proud to say that in my 35 years of public service my\ntime as the Principal and teacher Sanghabodhi Mahavidyaalaya, Minipe was the most\nmemorable period. Job satisfaction wise honestly it was even better than my\nassignment as the Secretary to the Prime Minister of this country Mrs Sirima\nBandaranaayaka. This is why I consider the teaching profession to be nobler\neven than the medical profession as even they were taught by their teachers and\n1\/3 of what they are today, they owe to their teachers as the other 2\/3 is\nequally divided between one\u2019s parents and oneself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they\ndon\u2019t respond your request positively then you have no alternative but to serve\nthem with an AR 191 notice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they don\u2019t respond your request positively\nthen you have no alternative but to use your powers as Secretary to the\nMinistry of Education who is responsible for the proper implementation of the\nGovernment\u2019s Educational policy of the Government, to put an end to this coup\nagainst the government and to protect the birth rights of a 4.3 million student\npopulation in this country. Then, you will go down in history as a hero who won\nthe 3 months old war against 4.3 million students by an unruly mob of 140,000\nselfish men and women called teachers, misdirected by a lunatic called Joseph\nStalin a professional trade unionist who has never being a professional teacher\nto lead a noble profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I suggest you follow the following cause of action\neven reluctantly, as it is your duty as a public servant by the children and\nthe country<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it is already too late and\nstale, I suggest that at least now you take some stern action against these rubble\nrousers to put an end to this nuisance, if you want to open the schools on the\n22nd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First as a person with wisdom you\ngive them a final notice asking them to report for duties immediately through\nthe press, radio and TV, informing them that if they don’t report for duty within\n3 days as directed, they will be treated as persons who have ceased to be\nteachers anymore under AR 191 as they have left the Service on their own, without\ninforming the Authorities. I also suggest that you send a copy of this notice\nto all heads of schools, Training colleges etc asking them to report to you as\nto who don\u2019t report at the end of the 3rd day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they fail to report as directed serve\nall of them with AR 191 notice informing their services have been terminated.\nThat will put an end to this 3 months old nuisance once and for all, leaving the\ntruant 140,000 teachers jobless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can assure you that at least 95 %\nof the Teachers, except those who are heavily involved in private tuition as\ntheir source of income will report for duty, once this is done<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concurrently call for application\nfrom qualified persons immediately for recruiting new teachers. Once they are\nappointed put them under a strict code of conduct as they are expected to arm\nthe younger generation not only with knowledge but also with discipline so that\nthey will also not behave like the present day teachers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time ask the Government\nto arrest both Joseph Stalin and Mahinda Jayasinha under the PTA and take action\nagainst them for conspiracy and mutiny against the Government and whatever\nother charges appropriate for their offences like instigating public gathering\nviolating the rules imposed by the health authorities making room for another\nCovid crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The\nwhole country is against this strike<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practically all the teachers to whom I\nhave spoken are against this strike. They also see it as an anti-government,\nanti-social, unethical, and uncivilized action manipulated by an anti-government\nextremist group to fulfill their hidden political ideologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Government headed by an\nExecutive President with a 2\/3 majority in Parliament, with 70 Ministers, 9\ngovernors all over the country has failed to settle a simple problem like this,\npeople have begun to ask as to why we have a government with a top heavy\ngoverning machinery to maintain a set of politicians and public servants\nspending 85 % of the total tax collectors money in this country. They also ask\nthe very pertinent question as to why not hand over the Ministry of Agriculture\nand food to Dudly Sirisena and Education to Stalin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a senior citizen who had been\nwatching this pathetic situation with sadness and much concern, I just want to\nask you, as a favorite of this Government, as to why you didn’t take action against\nthese truant teachers under AR 191, as the Secretary of the Ministry, who is\nresponsible for the smooth running of the education system in this country.\nOnce again I suggest you just serve AR 191 and that will put an end to this\n3-month-old nuisance.  Not only that,\nthis will create a precedent so that no public servant will resort to this type\nof cheap gimmick in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The moment you take this course of\naction, other than those who are heavily involved in private tuition as their\nmain source of income without doing their duty in schools in any case will\ndefinitely return to work.  Practically\nall the teachers to whom I have spoken are against this strike as they are fed\nup by staying at home and getting despised by the society. They see it as an\nanti-government, anti-social, unethical, and uncivilized action by an\nanti-government extremist group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a Government headed by an\nExecutive President with a 2\/3 majority in Parliament also can\u2019t solve even a\nsimple problem like this, then why are we having a Government spending 85% of\nthe national tax collections on the upkeep of politicians and a public service.\n This is a very pertinent question\neverybody is asking today. They also ask as to why we have  a government if the Government is going to\nleave the destiny of Education in this country in the hands of a group of\nlunatics and social enemies  who had\nnever being good teachers in their life time other than  acting as rubble rousers only throughout their\nlives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am copying this note to the Minister\n\/Education Mr. Dinesh Gunawardhana and also to the Press.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Sudath Gunasekara. This is a copy of a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Ministry of education, Sri Lanka by a concerned citizen. Dr. Sudath Gunasekara. Former Secretary to PM Sirimavo Bandaranayaka,\u00a0 Sec. Ministry of Technical Education and Addl Sec Ministry of Education.7.10\/2021. Mahanuwara The Secretary Ministry of Education Dear Secretary, Prof Kapila, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-sudath-gunasekara"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118992\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}