FUTA to rethink decision to end paper marking boycott
The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) says it has been forced to rethink an earlier decision to end their boycott of marking GCE A/Level answer scripts following “threats” made by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
While addressing a meeting of officials at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday, President Wickremesinghe warned that if teachers did not make themselves available for A/Level paper marking by next week, he will not hesitate to make education an essential service under emergency law and initiate legal action against teachers flouting their responsibility.
University lecturers refrained from evaluating answer scripts of the 2022 GCE A/Level examination as part of the trade union action launched by FUTA against what it says is an unjust tax regime introduced by the Government. Though FUTA chose to return to academic activities from April 17, it chose to continue its boycott of A/Level paper marking.
FUTA President Prof Shyama Banneheka said they had held discussions with Education Minister
Susil Premajayantha this week on resolving the issue. During the discussions, the Government had agreed to grant certain concessions to their demands, he added.
Minister Premajayantha had promised to write to banks requesting them to grant moratoriums on loans taken out by university lecturers should they make such an appeal.
In light of this, FUTA was planning to inform its members to take part in A/Level paper marking from next week. The President’s remarks on Wednesday threatening to force lecturers and teachers to engage in paper marking has now made FUTA reconsider that decision, he stressed.
“Paper marking is a voluntary service. We apply on a voluntary basis and it has never been compulsory. Someone has misled the President that A/Level paper marking could be legally made an essential service,” Prof Banneheka opined.
Even if paper marking was somehow gazetted as an essential service, since applying for marking is entirely voluntary, the FUTA President said he doubted any university lecturer would apply.
“Rather than making threats, the government should be focused on resolving this issue through dialogue. We are prepared to negotiate on the matter. We are preparing to call a meeting of FUTA members next week and issue our response,” said the FUTA President.
He insisted that FUTA had been pushed into trade union action. “We don’t want to cause inconvenience to students who sat for the A/ Level examination.”
Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, meanwhile, said his Ministry is in the process of drafting letters to banks requesting for a moratorium on loans taken out by university lecturers if a lecturer makes such a request.
The Education Ministry has also written to the Treasury requesting them to look into the possibility of granting several other requests made by FUTA. These include a mechanism where existing vacancies in universities can be filled by new recruitments, releasing funding necessary for lecturers to pursue higher studies abroad as required and for granting paid leave for lecturers who go overseas on sabbatical leave.