Some teachers opt out of Principals’ Service as promotions cost them part of their salaries – Trade union leader

By Rathindra Kuruwita

A number of teachers who are qualified to be principals have refused to join the Principals’ Service because they will end up being paid less than ordinary teachers eventually, says Sisira Rajapakshe National Organizer of the Principals’ Service Union (PSU).

“It gets worse with the passage of time. A Grade 1 principal draws about 12,000 to 16,000 less than what he/she could have got as an ordinary teacher,” Rajapakshe said, adding the government was in the process of recruiting 4,715 new principals. The first batch was recruited in 2017 through a competitive exam. Now, there are salary anomalies.”

“They are paid less than their colleagues in the teacher service. The authorities are aware of the problem. There have been many discussions. The only way to solve this issue is to change the Principal Service minute. Instead of doing this, various officials and even some unions are trying to make matters worse by categorising principals according to the year in which they were recruited, and proposing separate solutions for those categories.”

Rajapakshe said the entire school system was beset with numerous problems. “Parents have to spend a lot of money on their children’s education unlike in the past. Transport costs are very high for students and teachers.