Training for 40,000 graduates to begin after polls

 Cabinet Co-Spokesmen Ministers Bandula Gunawardena (left) and Ramesh Pathirana at the media briefing yesterday in Colombo – Pic by Ruwan Walpola

• Public Administration Ministry informs training will commence in early May
• Decision to postpone training after EC said it cannot go ahead during election time
• Govt. defends decision, saying appointments made before election announced 
• President’s Office to write to EC requesting to reconsider decision

By Chandani Kirinde 

The training programs for over 40,000 graduates who were given their letters of appointment just prior to the dissolution of Parliament will begin in the first week of May, after the conclusion of the General Election, the Government has decided.

The Public Administration Ministry has informed the new recruits that the training will commence on either 4 or 11 of May, and they would be informed of the exact date later.

The decision to postpone the commencement of the training came after the Election Commission decided not to allow the job training program to commence after the election was announced, after Opposition parties protested saying the scheme was meant to induce voters to vote for the ruling Party.

Cabinet Spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardana said that bank accounts have been opened for each of the new recruits, who would be paid Rs 20,000 for the one year period during which they will undergo training.

“We have to make the payments, but they will lose out on two months of training due to the EC decision,” Gunawardena said, adding that the appointments were based on merit and not party affiliation.

Meanwhile, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who met the heads of media institutions last morning, defended the decision to go ahead with the training during the election period, saying appointments were made before Parliament was dissolved.

He said the President’s Office will write to the Election Commission requesting it to reconsider the decision.