Stalin stands up to education mandarin for citing non-existing rule to harass teacher

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) yesterday warned the Director of the Sri Jayawardenapura Zonal Education Office that they would take legal action against her if she attempted to intimidate teachers who criticised the inefficiencies of the Zonal Education Office.

CTU General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said that Subashini Chularathne, a teacher attached to Buwanekaba Vidyalaya in the Sri Jayawardenapura educational zone, had published a Facebook post on an incident she had faced at the Zonal Education Office.

“This incident occurred in November 2020. On 11 November, Chularathne visited the Zonal Education Office for official work. She handed over a document to the office. Since she was not permitted to enter the premises because of restrictions imposed due to COVID-19, a person at the gate took her file and placed it at a designated place for the relevant official to pick it up. On 25 November Chularathne went back to check on the matter and saw her file in the same spot. She related this in a Facebook post.”

 A week later, the Director of the Sri Jayawardenapura Zonal Education Office had sent a letter to Chularathne calling for explanation for criticising the actions and activities of the Zonal Education Office and its officials, Stalin said.

He said that the CTU urged the Director to withdraw the letter because there was no legal provision to posting in the social media, one’s grievances. “The Director should have resolved the issue instead of taking action against the teacher concerned. A few years ago the Ministry of Education attempted to take legal action against a teacher of Mahanama College, Colombo 03 over a similar incident. The CTU went to the Supreme Court and the bench upheld the right for government officials to express their grievances in the media.”

 Stalin urged the Director of the Sri Jayawardenapura Zonal Education Office to take steps to turn her institution into an efficient one and stop harassing teachers. Stalin said “if you don’t withdraw this letter we will take this to court.”