British Council supports Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process by helping reduce language barriers

The British Council, in partnership with the National Institute for Language Education and Training (NILET), is pleased to initiate a Tamil language course for public officials with the aim of reducing language barriers in bilingual divisions. 

The course is part of ‘Strengthening the Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka’ (SRP), a four-year program launched in March 2018, which contributes to strengthening the country’s reconciliation processes by supporting government, non-government and grassroots initiatives through seven components. Reducing language barriers is one of these components, focusing on improving non-discriminatory service delivery in critical areas of public service in line with the Official Languages Policy. 

The SRP is jointly funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Foreign Office.  It is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHand and the British Council in partnership with the Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Religious Affairs. 

In June 2019, the British Council will build the capacity of a core group of NILET trainers in communicative, task-based methodology for teaching Tamil as a second language to public officials. During the four-week intensive training course, the NILET trainers will learn to use a content and language-integrated approach.  This includes not only teaching grammar, vocabulary, speaking and listening in a motivating and participatory way, but also addressing social inclusion through real contexts in the public service – health, education, social services, employment and the role of the police. 

The NILET trainers will practice the new methodology by delivering a specially developed Tamil language course to field officers from two bi-lingual divisions in the Kandy area, whose first language is Sinhala. Field officers have been selected using a new Tamil Language Placement Test which objectively measures their second language skills and places them on the course not on the basis of their status or position, but in relation to their current ability and needs. 

By the end of the project, 150 NILET trainers of Tamil and Sinhala will have enabled more than 600 public servants in bilingual divisions around Sri Lanka to interact in a meaningful way and deliver key services in citizens’ language of choice. 

Commenting on this support to Sri Lanka’s reconciliation processes, British Council Education and English Director Louise Cowcher said: “Language plays an integral role in the post-conflict reconciliation process. It acts as a tool to cultivate a culture of trust and understanding, especially when supported by the ability to communicate with an individual in their mother tongue. Reducing language barriers through developing public officers’ skills in using the official languages when interacting with the public is an invaluable step in the integration process.”