JVP tells Edu. Minister to stop playing blame game

By Dasun Edirisinghe-December 25, 2013, 6:16 pm 

The JVP-led Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union (CTSU) yesterday urged Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena to take action against those who admit students to primary classes of popular schools through the back door, causing classes therein to be overcrowded.

CTSU General Secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe told The Island that Minister Gunawardena blamed politicians for admitting students through influence from Grade Two to Five, but he should take action to stop that without playing the blame game.

Minister Gunawardena recently revealed that thousands of students who had got through the Grade V Scholarship Examination, with high marks, had been left kicking their heels for want of space in classrooms of popular schools already filled with children of those with political backing.

Citing a ministry report, Jaysinghe said that principals of popular schools had overloaded Grades Two, Three, Four and Five under political pressure. Parents who failed to have their children admitted to Grade One classes at popular schools secured politicians’ help to facilitate their admission later on, he said.

Jayasinghe said that Bandula Gunawardena had assumed office in 2010 and he, too, was responsible for admitting students through the back door. "We ask him to reveal the name of those politicians and officials who issued letters from the Ministry to admit students to the primary sections of popular schools," Jayasinghe said, adding that they should be punished after a proper investigation.

Jaysainghe said that several leading schools, including Rahula College Matara and Dharmaraja College Kandy could not accommodate students this year based on the Grade V Scholarship Examination results due to space problem.

Jayasinghe said that cut-off mark of most popular schools had gone very high due to the problem. "We also ask minister to reveal the number of students eligible to be admitted under the Grade V Scholarship Examination to popular schools," the unionist said.

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that his ministry had already removed an Education Ministry Secretary for issuing of letters to admit students to popular schools and appointed a new secretary few months ago.