17,000 apply for 500 vacancies under Religious Affairs Ministry
COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs has received more than 17,000 applications for 500 vacancies across institutions under its purview, Minister Hiniduma Sunil Senevi told Parliament.
The recruitment drive was launched to address severe staff shortages in 25 state institutions attached to the Ministry, including the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology.
“All 25 institutions under my ministry, including the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology, are facing severe staff shortages,” the minister said, explaining that recruitment was currently being expedited, with a major round of appointments recently carried out for positions ranging from executive-level posts to lower grades at the Central Cultural Fund and the Department of Archaeology.
According to Senevi, the prolonged absence of recruitment had created significant operational gaps across the institutions.
Highlighting the scale of the shortage, he said the Department of Archaeology alone requires around 850 watchmen.
Responding to concerns over staffing at historically significant sites, including Gal Vihara, the Minister said the Department of Archaeology primarily requires watchmen and work assistants to ensure the smooth functioning and maintenance of such locations.
“The closing date for applications to recruit 500 work assistants was just the other day. Believe it or not, we have received more than 17,000 applications,” Senevi told Parliament.
–ENCL
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