The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has rejected a statement by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who said that teachers had no objection to the proposal to extend school hours by half an hour.
Speaking to the media, CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin asserted that all teachers’ and principals’ unions have already conveyed their written opposition to the Ministry of Education, firmly objecting to the plan to extend school hours until 2:00 p.m.
Stalin revealed that the unions had requested the Education Ministry to clarify its official stance on the matter before schools close for holidays on 7 November, but no response had been received.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s statement, Stalin said, “The claim that teachers support the extension is completely untrue. We have asked the Education Minister to explain the basis for this decision, but there is no study or justification to support it.”
He added that, during a discussion at the University of Colombo, the Minister had said the decision came from the National Institute of Education, yet no practical foundation existed for such a move.
The CTU condemned what it described as an arbitrary decision by the Government, made without consultation with key education stakeholders.
Stalin said that if authorities continue to disregard teachers’ concerns, collective trade union action would be inevitable in early December.
“If the Government fails to announce its position promptly, teachers and principals will launch trade union action in the first week of December,” he warned.
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