Second language a must for public servants

by L. S. A. Wedaarachchi

[email protected]
 

All new recruits of the public service must pass the second language efficiency test within five years for job confirmation.

Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Minister Dew Gunasekera said that under the bilingulisation of the public service policy adopted last year, public servants must have a working knowledge of Sinhala and Tamil.

He said that the task of bilingulisation of the public service is expected to be completed within five years.

A modern state-of-the-art Institute of Language Training will be set up shortly in Agalawatta.

A series of language training programs including residential programs for language trainers, translators and interpreters will be conducted at the Language Training Institute, he said.

He said that a crash program to teach languages for public servants is being implemented. This program comprises in-house training at the Bhasa Mandiraya at Rajagiriya and special training sessions are being held at the Departments, he said.

He said that 5,000 Sinhala medium public servants sat for the Tamil efficiency tests and 1,775 Tamil medium government servants in the North and the Eastern provinces sat for Sinhala efficiency tests in March last year.

Commissioner, Department of Official Languages, S. Gunasena said that the results of the All-Island Language Proficiency Test (AILPT) held last March will be released in the second week of next month.

He said that the 2008 AILPT test will be held in September this year and the details will be published in the national newspapers within a few weeks.