Take over Int’l schools instead of promoting them through Cabinet paper: CTU
Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) President Joseph Stalin yesterday charged that Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam was attempting to legalise the operation of International and Private schools in the country. Minister Kariyawasam has said recently that he had prepared a Cabinet paper to check on the shortcomings in international schools and to improve the standard of education in these schools. He told a news conference that some teachers at international schools handle subjects they were not qualified to teach.
While condemning the minister’s remarks, Stalin said because of the potential commands that were to be approved through the cabinet paper, international and private schools would be promoted and increase causing an unhealthy impact on free education in the country.
“He is only trying to encourage international schools. People did not elect him to work for the betterment of non-governmental schools. As he is the minister of free education in Sri Lanka, such decisions should not be made by him,” he said. He said that it is well known that all the international schools are registered through the Companies Act. Therefore, the schools as at now were not under the Education Ministry and are operating as business ventures with a profit motive, he added.
“Who monitors international school activities and the quality of their service? How far can we trust these schools? To whom do we complain if there is any dispute? What are the conditions to run an International school?” Mr. Stalin questioned.