[lg policy] Sri Lanka: State Institutions must conform to national language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

State Institutions must conform to national language policy

Chaminda Perera

The National Language and Social Integration Ministry will take stern
action against the government officials who fail to provide service to
citizens due to the language barrier. The Call Centre established by
the Ministry yesterday, will directly be in communication with the
Government institution concerned when the people face obstacles with
regard to the use of language of their preference at the particular
public institution.

According to National Language and Social Integration Minister
Vasudeva Nanayakkara, action would be taken against any officer who
refused to obtain the services of Call Centre when the institution
concerned does not have the facility to provide services due to the
communication gap.

The Call Centre will also intervene when a Government institution
fails to execute their duties in conformity with the National Language
Policy, he said. He said that all documents in State Banks has to
conform to the of national Language Policy by December 31. The
Languages Department operating under the Ministry has translated to a
number of documents in State Banks.

The Public Administration Ministry has decided to appoint officials
who have knowledge in two languages in 32 Divisional Secretariats
where people e use more than one language following the intervention
of the Ministry, he said. The Minister said that the Tamil speaking
people have some political expectation and the President and the
Cabinet of Ministers should take action to meet the political
aspiration of the Tamil Speaking people.

Minister Nanayakkara said that his Ministry is involved in the
implementation of the language policy to ensure equality among the
communities. Ministry Secretary Malkanthi Wickremesinghe also spoke.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/11/29/news20.asp

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