Compliance or Deviation? Investigating English Medium Instruction in the Universities of Sri Lanka.

1
Compliance or Deviation? Investigating
English Medium Instruction in the Universities of
Sri Lanka.

• Ryhana Raheem
• Open University of Sri Lanka

2
Presentation on Sri Lanka

• Sociopolitico-Linguistic details.
• Constitutional Provisions for Language.
• Universities of Sri Lanka.
• Selected Universities,Faculties Media of
  Instruction.
• Status and Role of English and other Languages.

3
Significant Socio-Politico-Linguistic Events

• 1830 1833 Colebrooke Cameron Commission to
  foster English as a medium of instruction
• 1948 Independence from British rule
  Establishment of Free Education
• 1956 Official Language Act (Makes Sinhala the
  only official language)
• 1958 Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act
  (Tamil accorded official status in North and East)

4
Significant Socio-Politico-Linguistic Events

• 1978 Sinhala and Tamil declared National and
  Official languages.
• English not recognised officially.
• 1987 The Official Language of Sri Lanka shall
  be Sinhala.
• Tamil shall also be an official language.
• English shall be the link language
• The National Languages of Sri Lanka shall be
  Sinhala and Tamil.

5
Constitution of Sri Lanka. Chapter IV. Language

• 21. (1) A person shall be entitled to be educated
  through the medium of either of the National
  Languages.
• Provided that the provisions of this paragraph
  shall not apply to an institution of higher
  education where the medium of instruction is a
  language other than a National language.

6
Constitution (contd.)

• 21. (2) Where one Language is a medium of
  instruction for or in any course, department or
  faculty of any University directly or indirectly
  financed by the State, the other National
  Language shall also be made a medium of
  instruction for.students who.were educated
  through the medium of such other National
  language.

7
Jaffna
Location of Selected Universities
Peradeniya
SEU
Colombo
SJP
OUSL
8
Universities in Sri Lanka

• Colombo
• Eastern University of Sri Lanka
• Jaffna
• Kelaniya
• Moratuwa
• Open University of Sri Lanka
• Performing Arts

• Peradeniya
• Rajarata
• Ruhuna
• Sabaragamuwa
• Sri Jayawardenepura
• South Eastern University
• Uva-Wellassa
• Wayamba

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Universities, Faculties Media of Instruction
10
Status of Languages in Sri Lankan Universities -
Peradeniya

• All notices put up by the faculty are in
  English.Students also use English to announce
  sports activities-but they sometimes use Sinhala
  especially when they wish to announce cultural
  events or entertainment. The usage of Tamil is
  non-existent.

11
Status of Languages..

• The library contains mostly English books but
  Sinhala books are available in the Sri Lanka
  section. Newspapers in all three languages are
  available to students.

12
Status of Languages- Sri JP

• Sinhala has been the language of the university
  since its establishment. But English is used for
  interviews for recruitment of academic staff and
  circulars.The language policy of the university
  often depends on the choice of the Vice
  Chancellor

13
Status of Languages - Peradeniya

• All Staff Faculty Board meetings, Senate
  meetings, Academic Sessions are in English.
• Most official correspondence is in English.
• All Union meetings and transactions are in
  Sinhala.
• Counselling is conducted in the first language.
• All Faculty handbooks are in English.
• Campus language is Sinhala even for Tamil
  students.

14
Status of Languages- SEU

• In the Faculty of Arts, almost all academic
  staff have done their undergraduate and
  postgraduate studies in Tamil. In the Faculties
  of Management and Applied Sciences, faculty have
  graduated in English.

15
Status of Languages - Colombo

• Even though lecturers in the Faculties of Arts
  and Law teach in either Sinhala or Tamil, they
  prepare lesson material and hand outs in
  English.
• Most claimed it was easier to use English as all
  relevant up-to-date sources of information were
  in English.

16
Status of Languages - Colombo

• The most common problem cited was the lack of
  precise vocabulary in Sinhala and Tamil. For
  example, Tamil scholars have not been able to
  agree on a single word for State.

17
Status of Languages - Colombo

• All academic work (excluding teaching) such as
  material preparation, conducting examinations,
  research publications, conducting seminars and
  workshops is in English.
• But most informal work such as group
  discussions, group studies, communicating with
  lecturers is done bilingually or in the mother
  tongue or English.

18
Status of Languages- Colombo

• Both lecturers and students prefer to engage in
  their academic work in the English language
  because they view English as a language which
  would enrich their studies and take them along
  the path of social advancement.

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Status of Languages ..

• Although there is transition from first
  language to English medium instruction.. there is
  no uniformity or consistency in its
  implementation
• Peradeniya

20
Status of Languages - Jaffna

• On the whole, though there is much talk on
  language issues and the political struggle to win
  the rights ( of Tamil people), where education is
  concerned, students as well as staff prefer
  English as the medium of education.