Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya says a standard policy and procedure is followed when appointing principals to all schools, responding to a question raised by the opposition regarding the Bandaranayake College in Gampaha.
Addressing the Parliament yesterday, PM Amarasuriya said the past Government had turned the process of appointing principals for schools into a problematic matter.
“Without a proper procedure, acting principals were appointed, leading to prolonged unfairness for both the teachers and the schools, leaving the school administration system in a problematic state. Currently, a proper procedure is followed in correcting the system according to existing regulations. Principals are being appointed to all national schools and vacancies through interviews conducted in line with the qualifications required for the position. We do not treat schools differently; every school is governed under the same policy and procedure,” she said.
Providing a clarification, PM Amarasuriya said the principal appointment at Bandaranayake College in Gampaha was also carried out according to this standard procedure.
“Several issues had been identified based on written and verbal complaints made by various parties regarding the Gampaha Wickramarachchi Institute of Indigenous Medicine. Consequently, an expert committee has been appointed to examine the matter in a formal and analytical manner. Discussions were held with both the academic staff and students, and several key issues had been identified through the initial discussions,” she said.
The Prime Minister revealed that, notably, the Gampaha Wickramarachchi Institute of Indigenous Medicine was upgraded to a university without even the most basic facilities.
“New faculties and degree programs have been launched without adequate human resources or infrastructure. Further, beyond the core objectives of indigenous medicine, programs such as technology, social sciences, and management have been introduced without sufficient facilities,” she explained.
PM Harini Amarasuriya said that a formal committee has been appointed to investigate these matters and prepare a report to recommend the necessary actions. (Newswire)