Incentives for Second Language proficiency

M.P. Muttiah

Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera said to implement the Official Languages Policy in the Ministries, Departments and Local Government Institutions, the delegation of responsibility had been gazetted.

He said the gazette notification had set out the delegation of responsibility for implementing the Official Language Policy and the responsibility of the Chief Language Implementation Officer as well as Language Implementation Officer.

Minister Gunasekera said the Public Administration Ministry would implement the gazette notification by a circular on the delegation of responsibility to implement of the Official Languages Policy. He added that in 2007, his ministry with the collaboration of the Public Administration Ministry took the initiative to bi-lingualise the public service.

He said the circular provides incentives for officers in the public service who acquired competency in the second language either Sinhala or Tamil.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Government took a policy decision that the new entrants to the public service are required to acquire competency in the second language within five years, failure of which could result in non-confirmation of their positions.