FUTA strike will affect GCE A/L answer script evaluation

August 28, 2012, 10:15 pm , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

University teachers who have been on strike for nearly two months claimed yesterday that there had been no response from the government for two weeks with regard to their agitation and their trade union action might affect the GCE (A/L) answer script evaluation process, which was scheduled to begin at the end of this month.

President of the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri told The Island that they would have to wait until Treasury Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundara returned from China.

"We have been informed by our coordinator that it the government would consider calling a meeting after Dr. Jayasundara’s returns," he said.

Dr. Devasiri said that they had not decided to end the strike even though the government had closed universities.

Higher Education Deputy Minister Nandimithra Ekanayake said that the government had held several rounds of discussions with university teachers, but in vain.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa had got involved in the discussions with university teachers and it would be sorted out shortly, he said.

"We request the university teachers to come and evaluate the GCE (A/L) answer scripts without putting innocent students into trouble," Ekanayake said.