A protest organized by the School Development Officers’ Association commenced this morning (02) in front of the Presidential Secretariat, citing the lack of solutions to their long-standing grievances. 

The association stated that the protest is being conducted with the support of civil society representatives.

The ongoing hunger strike launched by the association outside the Presidential Secretariat has now reached its eighth consecutive day.

The protest, which initially began as a Satyagraha, was escalated to a “fast-unto-death” as officers demand their immediate absorption into the permanent Teacher Service, stating that they are already performing teaching duties in schools.

The association noted that a discussion with the President has been scheduled for tomorrow (03) to address these issues. However, Viraj Manaranga of the School Development Officers’ Association emphasized that today’s protest was launched because authorities have repeatedly failed to provide a definitive resolution.

Earlier today, a delegation from the Sarvajana Balaya party, including its leader and Member of Parliament Dilith Jayaweera, visited the protest site to meet with the fasting officers and inquire into their well-being.

Meanwhile, a separate protest was launched in front of the Ministry of Education at Isurupaya, Battaramulla, by the Union of Education Graduates. They are urging the government to expedite the recruitment of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) graduates from state universities into the teaching service.

Commenting on the broader crisis, the Chairman of the Lanka Teacher Services Union, Priyantha Fernando, alleged that while there is currently a shortage of 43,000 teachers in the education system, the government has failed to take effective measures to fill these vacancies.