Catholic school principal dispute in Wattala grows as protesters demand a Sister, while Minister Krishantha Abeysena urges talks.
Catholic school principal concerns sparked a protest in Wattala after former students and residents opposed the appointment of a Buddhist principal to a prominent state-taken-over school.
Minister of Science and Technology Krishantha Abeysena also joined the protest, where he said the Government has a moral responsibility to protect the identity of religious schools taken over by the state.
Speaking at the gathering, the Minister said the school was not an ordinary government school, but one that had been taken over by the state under the 1960 Act.
According to that Act, he said, the religious composition and culture of such schools should be preserved. He also noted that the land on which the school stands still belongs to the proprietary body, the Church.
The Minister said the school had been administered by Catholic Sisters for many years. He revealed that when applications were called for the post of principal, other qualified teachers had not applied out of respect for that long-standing tradition.
However, the current principal had submitted an application for the post, and the Provincial Governor had legally appointed her.
Abeysena said the issue was now a question of moral right. At the same time, he acknowledged that because the appointment had been made legally, it would be difficult for the Government to immediately intervene and remove the principal.
The protesters are demanding that a Catholic Sister be appointed again as principal in order to safeguard the school’s religious background and historic character.
They argue that although Buddhist monks are not appointed as principals of Buddhist schools, this institution has a special history in which administration by a Sister is considered essential.
The Minister further said efforts would be made to discuss the matter with education authorities and work toward a solution.
