The academic activities of all schools are likely to be crippled on December 4 as disappointed principals and teachers announce their plans to launch a countrywide token strike to protest the Education Minister’s lax attitude towards their demands.

The decision to launch the strike was made at a convention held by teachers and principals at the Mahaweli Center today with the participation of some 14 education sector trade unions.

“We requested for an appointment with the Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena and other responsible officials concerning our demands before November 8 but we did not receive any response.
 
However, Education Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Jayaratne has issued a letter on Monday, requesting our participation for a discussion on November 16 at which Minister Gunawardena is due to participate. But we have no confidence in the claims of the Education Ministry officials and there is no guarantee that Minster Gunawardena will participate.  So we decided to proceed with our decision to launch the countrywide strike,” Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said. (Lakna Paranamanna)