10,000 more graduates to get jobs

• Cabinet approval given to extend public sector employment to 60,000 graduates 

Cabinet approval was granted yesterday to provide employment to 10,000 more graduates under the program formulated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

The program to provide employment to unemployed graduates, which was suspended due to the General Election, re-commenced last Friday. Under this program, 50,000 unemployed graduates received jobs. With today’s Cabinet decision, another 10,000 will be joining them.

A group of unemployed graduates who did not receive appointments staged a protest near the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. 

The President, who was on his way after the Cabinet meeting, parked his vehicle near the protesters and told them that all the graduates would be given jobs.

“Go home now. Today we decided to give jobs to another 10,000 more,” the President told them.

The employment program will come to effect from 2 September onwards. President Rajapaksa on Monday advised the relevant authorities to appoint eligible graduates in accordance with their field of study.

The President also emphasised the necessity of providing on-the-job training as a measure to address shortcomings and deficiencies in the public sector.

President Rajapaksa pointed out that during the one-year training program, more attention should be paid to nurture qualities such as leadership, meeting targets, and building confidence.

He also pointed out the importance of offering jobs for selected graduate employees at new State Ministries to achieve the set goals of those ministries. It was also decided to appoint new job recipients to address the shortage of teachers in schools.