President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday ordered the Education Ministry to confirm thousands of acting principals in those positions where they had been functioning for a long time. The Presidential order came soon after the Public Service Commission released the cut off marks of an examination conducted by the Ministry to select school principals.

The Education Ministry on recommendations of the PSC could make new appointments based on the examination results but it also had to be fair by the acting principals, the President said at a meeting at Temple Trees yesterday. He said they, too, had to be considered for promotions.

Education Minister Susil Premjayanth was not present at the meeting as he was in China along with the Prime Minister but Education Services Minister Nirmala Kotelawala represented the Education Ministry.

Senior Presidential Advisor MP Basil Rajapaksa has proposed that the government take a policy decision to confirm acting principals in their positions.

There are about 4,000 acting principals serving in various parts of the country for over 10 years. None of them have been promoted since 2000.

They have staged a number of protests demanding that the Ministry promote them as principals.