The Ministry of Education (MoE) plan to appoint M a n a g e r s t o schools with over 1,000 students, came under attack by the Ceylon teachers Union (CTU). CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said the concept of Managers and Assistant Mangers to schools will only create disparity between the National schools in the country. Mr Stalin said the move will only create another tier among the 353 National schools with parents clamouring to get their children into the top tier. There already exists competition among parents to have their children sent to the few popular National schools in the country. "This will only intensify the competition," he said.
Last week, Education Minister Akila Vi r a j Kariyawasam announced he will appoint Managers to schools with over 1,000 children, and a Manager and an Assistant Manager to schools with over 2,000 children. The move, the Minister said, was to give relief to Principals heavily burdened with administrative work. This, he said, will enable the Principals to focus on the academic pursuits of the school. The CTU opined that, at a time when the mega school concept is being criticised, the Government is trying to reinforce the idea by appointing Managers to schools. Mr Stalin further said that, schools with a large number of students will only make it difficult for students to interact and get to know each other. "What we need is small schools with less children, so that, they can integrate easily and be friendly,’ he said. - CC