COLOMBO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan education authorities have accused the island's teachers for trying to ruin the future of the country's students by resorting to strike.

    Nimal Bandara, the secretary to the Ministry of Education, told reporters on Thursday that the striking unions of teachers were jeopardizing the future of the students.

    The teacher trade unions are absenting themselves from marking the examination papers of this month's advanced level or the university entrance examination islandwide.

    "We have long outstanding salary issues which the authorities have been neglecting," Mahinda Jayasinghe, a teachers' trade union spokesman said.

    However, Bandara stressed that teachers' responsibility towards students are more important than salary issues.

    The teacher trade unions have stayed away from marking examination papers since Aug. 20 as they demand action to increase salary.

    The Education Ministry maintained that the strike was an injustice.