Five teacher trade unions which decided to refrain from the marking of GCE Advanced Level answer scripts, staged a demonstration in Colombo yesterday together with teachers who came for a seminar at Royal College, Colombo.
The seminar was part of a series organized by the Examinations Department for teachers selected to mark answer scripts of A/L subjects. At this seminar, university professors who set the question papers briefed the teachers on the methodology to be followed in awarding marks.
However, the activists of these trade unions prevented hundreds of these teachers from attending the seminar, and forced them to join a demonstration staged outside Royal College.The teachers demanded that their salary anomalies be rectified before they get down to the job of marking answer scripts.Education Professionals Association Secretary Wasanatha Dharamasiri told the Daily Mirror that more than 300 teachers boycotted the seminar and joined the protest campaign.
Meanwhile, Examinations Chief Anura Edirisinghe said the Department would start the paper marking process on August 20, despite attempts by some trade unionists to sabotage it.
After the demonstration yesterday, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha decided to meet the teachers today, an official said.
Source:http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/08/17/front/07.asp