Unemployed graduates gatecrash NCP Council chamber

Unemployed graduates protesting. Picture by Anuradhapura Central Special Corr.

An attempt made by a group of nearly 400 unemployed graduates to gatecrash into the chamber of the North Central Provincial Council while a council meeting was in progress yesterday morning, was thwarted by the security officers who took timely action to close the gates of the main building and lock it up.

As the graduates continued their protest demanding job placements before the council’s official term ended on October 2, the police had to be called in to maintain peace.

The protesters, who jeered at council members belonging to all parties, demanded that they be given postings before the council term ended.

The President of the Unemployed Graduates Association Asanka Rupasinghe who led the demonstrators, said an examination was held in March this year for the recruitment of graduate and diploma qualified teachers, and graduate development officers followed by interviews in July.

Chief Minister Peshala Jayaratne, thereafter, promised to give placements before August 31. The pledge was to recruit 1,800 unemployed graduates as teachers and development officers. They were still languishing without jobs while some of their members had even married and become parents.

The Chief Minister, thereafter, agreed for a meeting with representatives of the demonstrating graduates and agreed to give appointments after a pending Court case filed by UNP member Kasthuri Anuradhanayake was settled. Thereafter, the graduates called off their protest and left the council premises. 

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