SIX-YEAR TEACHER SHORTAGE: 211 GRADE 1 STUDENTS SHUT OUT THIS YEAR
Presidential Coordinating Secretary to solve the problem within a week
Residents of the area are perturbed that their children in Grade 1 would be left idling for want of teachers. They said five Grade 1 classes in the Balapitiya Revatha College are still to begin this year leaving 211 students admitted to Grade 1 in a predicament. Their parents pointed out that a shortage of teachers had been felt for a long time and that the Education Department had not solved the problem. However, the Director of Education (School Development) of the Ambalangoda Zonal Education Office, Wijeratne Banda has instructed the principal of the school to start Grade 1 classes after appointing teachers.
A resident of Ahungala, Nayana Susantha de Silva said, “The students selected for admission have been left idling at home. Though shortage of teachers has been felt for a long time, politicians and senior officials of the Education De- partment have ignored our requests to fill the vacancies. This situation would jeopardize the future of the children.”
The Principal of the Revatha Vidyalaya, Theja Deepthi Disa Weerakody said the school had been short of 27 teachers since 2005. “The shortage of teachers would be worse when 07 teach- ers retire this year. If we have an adequate number of teachers we can accommodate 252 Grade 1 children. We have selected 211 students for Grade 1 this year but we need at least ten teachers to begin classes. I have informed the relevant authorities about this situation,” the principal said.
However the Zonal Director of Education M.s.mendis said the Ministry of Education should take step to fill the vacancies of National Schools and not the provincial council. Meanwhile the Presidential Coordinating Secretary for Foreign Affairs and District Parliamentarian Sajin de Vaas Gunawardene at a meeting of the Divisional Coordinating Committee held at the Balapitiya Divisional Secretariat on Monday (09) said he would take up the issue with the Minister of Education and solve the problem facing the Revatha Vidyalaya within a week.