Education Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha said that no matter who caused the problem, he would take responsibility as the minister in charge and provide solutions to the issues of the teachers and principals.
The Minister also expressed his regret regarding the tear gas attack on the protest conducted jointly by the teachers’ and principals’ trade unions, while he was abroad.
Minister Premajayantha said that if any party has been prejudiced or inconvenienced due to the situation that occurred when he was abroad for an education conference, he expresses his concern. He added that he expects to meet the trade union groups in the coming week.
The Minister said this when journalists asked him about the suppression of the recent protest of teachers and principals, when he was attending an event held at the BMICH in Colombo yesterday.
He said that the problems that have arisen so far have been resolved through continuous discussions with the teachers’ unions and steps have been taken to allocate some provision from the Budget to alleviate the salary disparities not only for the teachers and principals, but also for other services.
Minister Premajayantha said that it is normal for trade unions to make demands on behalf of their members and it is useless to worry unnecessarily.
Answering a question raised by journalists regarding the examination papers, the Minister said that the Examinations Department prepares the examination papers according to a standard, and that standard has been maintained until the result of the particular exam is out.
The Minister further said that such criticisms are made by those who have made an industry out of them and it is useless to worry about their responses.
Dharma Sri Abeyratne