By Sandun A Jayasekera

Mass Media Minister Dullas Alahapperuma, who is also a former Education Minister expressed hopes that the national education system will be back to normal from today onwards after more than one and half years with the prospect of all students, teachers, principals and school staff are expected at schools with their full strength.  
Minister Alahapperuma termed the calling off of the months long trade union action by teachers and principals as a ‘rain after a long drought’.

Extending his hand of friendship and respect to teachers and principals who are on trade union action for more than 100 days on behalf of the government, Minister Alahapperuma requested them to return to their noble profession sooner than later thinking only about 4.3 million students who have been incarcerated in their homes for about one and half years for not their fault.

Minister Alahapperuma said opening schools for all students from grade I to grade 13 would be a win-win situation for teachers and principals and to the national education system of the country.

“Resumption of teaching and normal school activities is a victory for all concerned and there will be no one to lose. The problems festering among government teachers and principals cannot be resolved by insulting, disparaging or threatening them as they have genuine grievances,” he emphasized.  Minister Alahapperuma said the unexpected and highly damaging health threat came in the form of Covid 19 has devastated lives of the entire global community. As a middle income economy, Sri Lanka has to take the full brunt of the pandemic when the industrial, agriculture and tourism sectors were severely affected and depleted the state revenue by trillions of rupees. The government would be more than happy, if the government could pay the total amount of arrears of teachers and principals in one go.

He pleaded with teachers and principals and those who oppose trade union action to come to a compromising position and take a passive stance in place of arrogance, to compassion replacing hate and respect instead of insults.