Sri Lanka teachers on strike over detention of protesters

Teachers in Sri Lankan government-run schools have withdrawn from online teaching to protest the detention of union leaders and others in quarantine centers under pandemic laws

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Teachers in Sri Lankan government-run schools withdrew from online teaching Monday to protest the detention of union leaders and others in quarantine centers under pandemic laws. Schools in Sri Lanka remain closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and lessons are conducted online. Eleven education trade unions said in a statement that three union leaders and many others were illegally detained at the quarantine centers after being arrested at protests last week. They said the leaders and other protesters were pushed inside vehicles and taken away to the quarantine centers as they walked out of courtrooms after having been released on bail. Priyantha Fernando of the Ceylon Teachers' Union said 242,000 teachers and 16,000 school principals joined Monday's strike action.