CTU: Teacher shortage casts doubt on govt.’s education reforms
By Chaminda Silva The government’s ambitious plans to overhaul Sri Lanka’s school education system and introduce new curricula could face serious implementation difficulties, with teacher unions warning that a longstanding and severe shortage of teachers remains unresolved. The warning came as Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya announced yesterday that new curricula would be introduced for […]
The government's ambitious plans to overhaul Sri Lanka's school education system are facing significant challenges due to a longstanding teacher shortage, according to the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU). Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya recently announced that new curricula will be introduced for Grades 2 and 6 next year, and the government plans to recruit around 30,000 new teachers across the education system by February.
However, CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin has questioned whether the government will be able to provide the necessary teachers, stating that the recruitment process has been marred by issues. Stalin accused the government of making misleading claims about teacher recruitment and highlighted that the teacher shortage, which has affected schools for over a year, will persist into next year.
Despite the government's initial claim of 23,000 teacher vacancies, only around 17,000 applicants have been summoned for interviews, with appointments expected to begin in January. Stalin emphasized that the problem extends beyond numbers and involves the government's recruitment procedure, which has been plagued by shortcomings and ambiguities in the gazette notification.
The shortage is also impacting the transfer system, with many teachers unable to obtain transfers due to a lack of replacements. This has led to teachers staying in the same school for 12 or 13 years. The CTU also raised concerns about the government's plan to close schools with fewer than 50 students, suspecting that it may be an attempt to redeploy teachers from these schools.
The CTU's concerns come at a time when the government is implementing a major overhaul of the education system. The Prime Minister highlighted the new curricula for Grades 2 and 6, as well as the development of a new education system focused on nurturing students beyond examinations. However, the CTU argues that the existing teacher shortage, delays in recruitment, and unresolved transfer problems could hinder the successful implementation of these reforms.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
