School Development Officers accuse government of failing to honor promises

Colombo, Nov. 16 (Daily Mirror) - The School Development Officers’ Association has accused the government of making pre-election promises to secure their votes, only to neglect absorbing them into the teachers’ service.

Association Secretary Viraj Manaranga told the media that officials had been advised to return home and focus on their studies rather than protest or picket on the streets.

“It is not enough to just tell us to go home without offering any solutions. We performed the duties of teachers but were not paid at the teacher grade. For six years, we taught children without proper compensation, knowing all along that our service would not be recognized,” Manaranga said.

He added, “We gave our best during the COVID-19 period. At that time, the government appreciated our efforts, but now it claims that School Development Officers are not needed. During teachers’ protests, we were called to schools to maintain operations. The government also warned that if we did not comply, it could not make our services permanent.”

Manaranga further said that the government had previously promised to make their positions permanent as school teachers. During the briefing, he played a video highlighting the government’s earlier commitment to absorb them into the teachers’ service.

The association issued an open challenge to the Education Minister, Labour Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe, and MP Chandana Sooriyaarachchi to participate in a public debate on the issue.

Meanwhile, a group of School Development Officers staged a protest in front of the Presidential Secretariat, urging the government to fulfill its pre-election promise.