The Government has set apart Rs.30 billion through the 2022 budget to rectify the salary anomalies of the teachers and principals that have been left unattended for over 24 years.
Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa at a meeting with teacher and principal trade unions in Colombo insisted that the rectification of salary anomalies of teachers and principals should not be misconstrued as a salary increase.
“The Cabinet appointed a sub-committee to look into the salary anomaly issue of the teachers and the principals. My recommendation to the Committee was to look into the possibility of rectifying them in a way that will not harm the equilibrium of the entire Public Service through the next Budget,” Minister Rajapaksa said.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Teachers ‘and Principals’ Trade Unions expressed their gratitude to the Government, including Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa for solving their issues.
The Finance Minister also said that 7.51 per cent of total expenditure of the Government will be dedicated to the education sector for the first time in history.
He said that an allocation of above 7.5 per cent to education from the total Budget was made for the first time and this shows the commitment of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa towards the development of the education sector.
The Finance Minister said that although the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) has forgotten their struggle to increase the allocation towards the education sector after getting their salaries increased, the President and the Prime Minister have not forgotten their commitment towards the development of the education sector.
“There was series of protests demanding to increase the allocation for the education to 6 per cent from the total expenditure of the Government when Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was the President of the country”.
He added that education is the biggest investment that a Government can make to ensure a promising future for its citizens.The Finance Minister also said that Sri Lanka tops in the region in terms of allocations towards education.
The Government is committed to invest more towards the development of education while placing equal emphasis on productivity, he said. Minister Rajapaksa also sought the support of each and every trade union to improve the standards of education.
The Finance Minister also told the trade unions to come through the respective ministries. “If they come through the ministries, the Finance Minister will be able to take some remedial measures,” he added.
“I heard the trade unionists accusing me of not giving an appointment to them. I could not have made this revelation, had we met earlier. However I am not stubborn and willing to give an ear to your (TUs) concerns,” he said.
Minister Rajapaksa added that the he always abides by any decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has also thanked the Finance Minister for fulfilling the teachers’ and principals’ needs.
The Minister said that the Most Ven. Mahanayake of Malwatte Chapter also stressed the importance of solving issues of the teachers and principals without delay. “The President and the Prime Minister insisted that the issue with regard to the salary anomalies of the teachers and principals needed to be resolved soon,” he said. The Government wanted to provide a sound education to the children. That is our primary importance as schools have been reopened for academic activities.
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