National Language Division

Constitution Provisions

The implementation of Official Language Policy (IOLP) has been enshrined in the chapter IV of the1978 constitution of the Democratic Social Republic of Sri Lanka. This also outlined in article 27(05, 06, 10) of chapter VI. Accordingly the Basic Law of the 1978 constitution have been amended by the 13th amendment in 1987 and 16 amendment in 1988 there by the importance of Right to Languages have been emphasized.

The Circumstance where the Language Right was protected as a Human Right has been reflected in Article 12(2) and 12(3) in the chapter III of the constitutions as follows;

“ The state shall provide adequate facilities for the use of the Languages provided for in this chapter. (Article 25)’’

Administrative Provisions

At the same time, the considerable number of government gazette notifications and circulars have been issued in order to regularize the effective IOLP throughout Sri Lanka.

Official Languages

Sinhala and Tamil shall be the Official Languages of Sri Lanka-Article 18(1) and 18(2) as amended by the 13th Amendment

National Languages

The National Languages of Sri Lanka shall be Sinhala and Tamil-Article 19

Link Languages

English shall be the Link Language – (Article 18(3) as amended by the 13th Amendment.

1978 constitution of Democratic Social Republic Sri Lanka

The supreme law regarding languages in Sri Lanka is stated in Chapter IV of the Constitution. The provisions therein have been amended through the 13th Amendment (1987) and 16th Amendment (1988). The Language Rights have been given priority in this chapter.

The circumstance where the Language Right were protected as a Human Right has been reflected in article 12(2) in chapter 111 of the constitutions as follows “No citizen shall be discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion, Language, cast, sex, political opinion, place of birth or any one of such grounds ”This right is subject to the following special provisions in the constitutions.

“provided that it shall be lawful to require a person to acquire within a reasonable time sufficient knowledge of any language as a qualification for any employment or office in the public, judicial or Local Government Services or in the services of any public corporation, where such knowledge is reasonably necessary for the discharge of the duties of such employment or office:
Provided further that it shall be lawful to require a person to have a sufficient knowledge of any language as a qualification for any such employment or office where no function of that employment or office can be discharged otherwise than with a knowledge of the languages”

Further according to the constitution Article 12(3) of the constitution, “No person shall, on the grounds of race, religion, language, cast, sex or any one of such grounds, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to access to shop, public restaurants, hotels, places of public entertainment and places of public worship of his own religion.”

Background

The Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration (MNLSI) was created in 2010 under the extra ordinary Gazette Notification No 1651/20 dated 30th April 2010. In 2015,the Official Languages was fallen under the Ministry of National Co-existence, Dialogue and Official Languages under Extra ordinary Gazette Notification No 1945/40 dated 18thDecember 2015.In 2018 the mandate relating to National Languages came under the Ministry of National Integration, Reconciliation and Official Languages which was established by Extra Ordinary Gazette Notification No 2070/56 on 12th May 2018 and again amended as the Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs and it was created under Extra Ordinary gazette Notification No 2103/33 dated 28th December 2018 with one of the mandates on Official Languages. In November 2019 the implementation of the Official Languages Policy(OLP) moved to the Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial and Local Government. In September 2020, the implementation of OLP came under Ministry of Public Service, Provincial Councils and Local Government. (National Languages Division) created under extra ordinary gazette Notification No2187/27 dated 9th August 2020.Presently, The Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government (National Languages Division), which was created under the Extra ordinary Gazette Notification No 2281/41 dated 27th May 2022.

The National Languages Division (NLD) is functioning as one of the arm of the Ministry in aiming of effective implementation of Official Language Policy (OLP) for supporting towards the establishment of reconciliation among the community. The programs identified for effective implementation of Official Languages Policy are delivered in different layers and by different mechanisms.

The NLD is co-coordinating and working with the language institutions namely Department of Official Languages (DOL), Official Languages Commission(OLC) and National Institute for Language Education and Training (NILET). They are responsible for providing language capacity building services and empowering the service providers and citizens towards achieving capability for delivering and demanding services in bilingual/trilingual.

A hotline ‘1956’, the Call Centre and Language Centers at regional level provide necessary services and facilitation for delivering Language programs for the public officers and general public. In addition to the treasury supported Programmes, the Canadian Government and European Union (EU) supports by grant projects namely National Languages Equality Advancement Project (NLEAP) and Strengthening Reconciliation Process (SRP).

Vision

"Citizen received satisfactory services in terms of Official Language Policy in Sri Lanka"

Mission

"An accessible environment to create bilingualism in the service delivery for the satisfaction of general public in relation to the official languages policy"

Objectives

Planning, implementation and supervision of Official Languages Policy.
Build appropriate environment to create bilingualism in the government sector.
Empowerment of general public in relation to the Official Languages Policy.

Functions

Strengthening satisfied bilingual environment in Government institutions
Enhance capacity of public officers in the bilingual service delivery
Promote Official Languages Policy among general public
Recognition for government institutions on Official Languages Policy implementation
Monitoring and supervision on the implementation of Official Languages Policy in the government institutions.

Centers under the National Language Division

Call Centre 1956

The Call Centre was established on 28.11.2012 to receive complaints on the violation of Official Languages Policy. Also involve in trilingual translations and any other matters related to languages (languages courses, training Programmes, preparation of language plans language competency building exams, meaning of terms, correct letters for the words etc.). The hot line 1956 and social Media number 0702001956 for Viber, Whatsapp, Facebook and imo have been provided to send language problems to the Language Call Center.The OLC, DOL and NILET would coordinate with the call center also involve in this process and coordinating call center activities in this regard.

Language Provincial Centers in Kilinochchi and Batticaloa

Language Provincial Centres at Kilinochchiin the Northern Province and Batticaloa in the Eastern Province language centres facilitate to conduct programmes related to second language courses to the public officers. They improve systems and procedures to deliver second language process in the institutions as well.

Contact details (kilinochchi)	:	021 228 3656
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Contact details (Batticaloa)	:	065 205 0140

Organization Structure

Line Agencies under the supervision of National Language Division

Department of Languages (DOL)

The “Official Language Bureau” which operated as a special unit of the Ministry of Finance in order to facilitate the implementation of Sinhala and Tamil as native languages of Sri Lanka,was restructured as a permanent department under the same ministry from the 01st of October 1955 and thereafter known as the “Department of Official Languages. Following the passage of the Official Languages Act No.33 of 1956,the primary setback faced by the government was performing administrative tasks,which were previously carried out in English, in Sinhala. As a result, from the 1st of October 1956,the duties of the Official Languages were recognized under the supervision of a special commissioner, and the responsibility of facilitating government institutions in using Sinhala as an Official Language of Sri Lanka was assigned to the Department of Official Languages.

Services of Department of Official Language

Conducting academic courses for Sinhala,Tamil,English and other foreign languages
Conducting Language proficiency Examinations for government Officers
Conducting Language proficiency and Efficiency Bar Examination at the request of external institutions
Compilation of Language textbooks, supplementary books and dictionaries

DOL website: https://www.languagesdept.gov.lk/

Official Languages Commission (OLC)

The Official Languages Commission (OLC) is a statutory institution established in compliance to the provisions contained in the Official Languages Act.No.18 0f 1991.This commission consist with 06 members appointed by H.E. the President, one member out of above is nominated as the Chairman. The role of the Commission is regulation and supervision of the provisions contained in chapter IV of the Constitution. The Commission has an approved staff to fulfill duly and efficiently the affairs entrusted.

Services of Official Language Commission

Investigation of public complaints
Awareness creation among Government and semi-Government Officers
Conducting school Programmes
Conducting programmes to create awareness among public

OLC website : https://www.olc.gov.lk/

National Institute of Language Education and Training (NILET)

National Institute of Language Education and Training was formally established by Act No.26 of 2007 with the objectives of the proper implementation of the Official Languages Policy by promoting inter-ethnic reconciliation for a better mechanism in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The key objectives of NILET are capacity building of teachers to teach Sinhala, Tamil & English, capacity building of translators and interpreters, Training of Master Trainers on language teaching and training public officers to deliver bilingual/trilingual services to the general public in terms of bilingual/trilingual competency building of languages.

Services of National Institute of Language Education and Training

To provide extensive training in the Sinhala, Tamil and English languages so as to make available persons competent to teach Sinhala, Tamil and English to persons who are of acquiring such knowledge
To provide training and education to suitable persons in languages and to award certificates and diplomas to successful candidates on completion of such training and educations.
To build up a body of trained personnel equipped to undertake the teaching of languages
To establish a repository of information matters relating to languages.

OLC website : https://www.nilet.gov.lk/

National Language Equality Advancement project (NLEAP)

The government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) initiated a project called ‘National Language Equality Advancement project (NLEAP),with the grant of CAD 10.85M for the period of 4.5 years commencing from the 2016.This project was established under the leadership of the Ministry of National Coexistence, Dialogue and Official Languages. This is a Grant project funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by Alinea International (previously Agriteam Canada) designed to strengthen the implementation of Sri Lanka’s Official Languages Policy (OLP) by government actors, A Memorandum of understanding (MOU) for NLEAP was signed between the GOSL and GOC in the year 2016 and it is going complete the implementation of activities by 2023.

The Primary project stakeholders are:

The Ministry responsible for the implementation of official languages policy (presently the National Languages Division (NLD) of the Ministry of public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government) and its affiliated institutions, which are mandated to coordinate and support the implementation of the Official Language Policy (OLP);
- National Institute of Language Education and Training (NILET),
- Department of Official Languages (DOL) and
- The Official Languages Commissions (OLC)
The University Grants Commission (UGC) which covers the university of Jaffna, Kelaniya, Sabaragamuwa and Eastern; and
Civil society organizations through the National Language Fund (NLF)

NLEAP Website : https://www.nleap.lk/

Contact Details

Anuradha Wijekoon
Additional Secretary (National Language)

Tel	:	+94 11 2676433 (Ext - 113)
Fax	:	+94 11 2698429
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S. Sathiyaseelam
Senior Assistant Secretary
(National Languages)

Tel	:	+94 11 3091295 (Ext - 285)
Fax	:	+94 11 2683132
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Vacant
Assistant Secretary (National Languages)

Tel	:	+94 11 5657857 (Ext - 276)
Fax	:	+94 11 2683132
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Administrative Officer

A.A.F. Nathimiya
Administrative Officer (National Languages)

Tel	:	+94 11 2684223 (Ext - 167)
Fax	:	+94 11 2683132
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