Language Research

In practice, Tamil is given virtual parity of status with Sinhalese and English in the public life today. This is seen in the educational, political and legal systems, as well as in all other important areas of public life. It must be remembered that there are few countries, which have given to a language spoken by less than a fifth of the population the place that has been accorded to Tamil in Sri Lanka. If judgment is to be based on international rights and practices, the claim of discrimination against Tamils on language grounds in Sri Lanka cannot be sustained.

However, .........

ADMINISTRATION

The language used in the courts of the provinces where many Tamil plantation workers live is Sinhala. Most of the courts do not have interpreters who know the Tamil language, thereby causing tremendous hardship to the Tamil speaking people. The case numbers, dates and other details with regard to the cases are announced in the Sinhala language. Even the charges are read in Sinhala. The Tamil-speaking victims are requested to give evidence in Sinhala.

Tamil has been declared as an official language for several years now, but translation of official documents rarely takes place. Typists and translators are in very short supply. Not only the language rights, given to the Tamil people by a number of laws are denied by non-compliance and non-implementation but also the fundamental rights granted to all citizens that every citizen should be treated equally irrespective of religion, language, race and other factors are denied in the courts themselves.

EDUCATION

According to the news from Tamil Net (December 3, 1998), technical education in the Tamil language was neglected in the proposed educational reforms that Sri Lanka's government set to be implemented in the year 1999. There are 470 technical and vocational courses in the Sinhala and 91 in English, whereas only 65 courses are for Tamil speaking students. As for the colleges, Sinhala is the language of instruction in 34, offering 8 courses in computer studies. However, there is only one such a course in Tamil.

A proposal by the Minister of Education Richard Pathirana from September 16, 1999 to teach Tamil to Sinhala students and vice versa from January 1, 2000 is a giant step towards ethnic harmony.

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