The Covid-19 outbreak has pushed Sri Lanka Schools Cricket coaches life towards an unimaginable financial crisis. On May 14 itself, Cricket Age had published that a large number of Schools in Sri Lanka have stopped their cricket coaches salaries during the ongoing lockdown period. Now, it has learned that while few schools have paid full or 25% salaries, majority of schools have not paid the salary at all for the month of March-April.
Sri Lanka’s school cricket is probably the best in the world, with majority of national team players comes through the system, despite a lackluster, pathetic domestic structure.
According to sources, as cricket, like other all activities, remains suspended due to the ongoing lockdown, only few top ranked Schools in Sri Lanka like St. Thomas, Royal College, Ananda College, St. Peters have paid full salaries to their cricket coaches for the month of March-April.
However, almost 90% outstation schools have not paid salary to the coaches, even though all these coaches are registered at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and they have to obtain coaching license from the cricket board to coach in a school.
“A leading Catholic School in Colombo has not renewed contracts of 6 cricket coaches and not even informed them” a top ranked School Coach told Cricket Age.
“We approached Honorable Education Minister Dallas Alahapperuma to look after this sensitive matter. The ministry has issued a directive to schools, instructing them to pay at least 25% of salary to these coaches. However, the situation remains the same, even after his directive” another prominent School Coach told Cricket Age.
As per Education ministry regulations, School principals are authorized to appoint the coaches and their salaries comes from the all boys association and school development funds. In the pandemic time, however, it seems they are penalizing the school coaches, that too without any fault.
“In Sri Lanka, over 700 Schools are playing Juinor Cricket. A leading School in Kandy have donated SLR 1,50,000 to Covid-19 fund and not paid the coaches. It shows, where there priorities are” the prominent School Coach added further.
Schools, who have fully paid
Royal College
St Thomas’s Mount Lavinia
Ananda College
St. Peter’s College
Thursatan College
Mahanama College
Wesley College
St Benedict’s College
Schools, who have paid 25%
Nalanda College
D S Senanayake College
Schools, who have not paid anything
Isipathana College
Lumbini Vidyalaya
St Anthony’s Wattala
(Slab wise payments have been made by some schools
eg : St Joseph’s College Maradana)
