Sri Lanka to recruit 23,006 teachers to fill vacancies

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya has announced that recruitment processes have begun to fill 23,006 teacher vacancies across national and provincial schools in Sri Lanka. The recruitment aims to address long-standing shortages that have led school principals to utilize 8,788 development officers to assist with classroom activities.

Currently, 17,688 candidates, including persons with disabilities, have qualified for interviews based on examination results. The vacancies are distributed across various provinces, including 4,484 in national schools, 3,480 in the Central Province, 2,500 in the Uva Province, and others in the North, East, South, North Western, North Central, and Sabaragamuwa provinces.

During parliamentary discussions, Member of Parliament Shanakiyan Rasamanickam raised concerns regarding the transparency of the selection process. He questioned the discrepancy between the initially announced 23,800 positions and the 17,688 candidates called for interviews. Additionally, he sought clarity on the future of development officers who have been performing teaching duties for the past six years, noting that the Prime Minister stated no officer can be integrated into the teacher service without undergoing the required competitive examinations and interviews.