June 29, Colombo: In an effort to create a bilingual public sector workforce the Sri Lankan government made it a requirement for all the new recruits of the public service to pass the second language efficiency test within five years for job confirmation.

In 2007 the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration took the initiative to bilingualize the public service to promote national integration between different ethnic communities.

According to the policy adapted, the new recruits to the public service should acquire the competency in the second language within five years of joining the service. Failure to achieve this competency would result non confirmation in their posts.

Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera said that under the policy public servants must have a working knowledge of both Sinhala and Tamil.

To facilitate the process a modern state-of-the-art Institute of Language Training is to be set up shortly in Agalawatta and a series of language training programs including residential programs for language trainers, translators, and interpreters will be conducted at this facility.

The Minister also said that a crash program to teach languages to public servants is being implemented. This program comprises in-house training at the Bhasa Mandiraya at Rajagiriya. Currently Tamil language is taught in fifty nine Pirivenas in the island, to lay persons and the clergy.