CTU opposes Govt.-sponsored BE Degree in private Unis.

The Ceylon Teachers Union ( CTU) last week warned of severe trade union action against the Govt.' s move to award Teaching Degrees to GCE Advanced Level (A/L) Students from non-State Universities.

The CTU charged that the Govt.’s programme to assist GCE A/L students denied placements in State universities, to continue their Tertiary Education in private universities, is an attempt to privatise Education.

CTU General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said that, despite the availability of resources with the Govt. to provide Degree programmes to students, it is leaning on private universities for Degree programmes.

The Govt. last week said that GCE (A/L) students who wish to enroll for the Bachelor of Education (BE) Degree, could apply to private universities with a financial assistance from the Govt.

In adverts published in the newspapers, it said that up to Rs 800,000 bank loan will be arranged for students who opt to follow BE in private universities.

The move follows Govt. attempts to fill the estimated 20,000 teaching vacancies in Science, Maths, Information Technology and English .

Candidates are to be selected by the District Secretariat (DS) from z- Scorers of those who have failed to enter State universities in 2015. Those following Govt.- sponsored Higher Education courses are not eligible to apply.

The chosen candidate could have his loan waived by agreeing to work in a National school in the DS of his/her choice, for a minimum period of 5 years. In which case, the Govt. undertakes to pay the candidate’s loan to the bank.

Mr Stalin said the move is a long term process and will not answer the existing shortage of teachers in the schools.

He further said that, the National College of Education (NCE) and the Teacher Training Colleges (TTC) in the country could be used to award Teaching Degree to students. The Education Ministry's NCE Act No. 1986/30, he said, is empowered to award Degree programmes to students selected to the 19 NCEs in the country, adding that, the TTCs could be used to award Degree programmes .

However, he said that, only 9 of the 24 TTCs are functioning and the Govt. should revive them to conduct Degree programmes.

“The slow privatisation of the Free Education system should stop immediately or, we will gather all the trade unions and conduct mass protests against this move," he said.