Take a leaf out of India and make the language leap

Even as Sinhala Nationalism is fast sweeping the country, as it did in the mid fifties, out of the wilderness, were voiced words of wisdom by Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Amara Hewamadduma.

Hewamadduma was speaking at Monday’s book launch of a collection of articles published in five newspapers, written by Rivira Editor Upali Tennekoon.

A former Civil Administrative Service (CAS) officer, who has served in several districts as Government Agent, Hewamadduma lamented the standard of English in schools and universities.

He observed the greatest post independent mistake the country made was to introduce the Sinhala Only Act. He was not speaking of the political price the country had to pay in terms of the national conflict on account of Lanka’s language policy.

Instead, he spoke of the priceless pearl, English, that was lost for more than a generation.

He remarked that students cannot string a proper sentence in English even at university level.

The father of free education, Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara, worked towards abolishing the two tier school system, where English was taught to privileged students and the vernacular was taught to the rural masses. While Kannangara laid emphasis on teaching Sinhala and Tamil in schools, with great foresight, he also wanted students to learn English, to compete in the modern world.

Hewamadduma said that students from several schools in many districts studied in the English medium that was not restricted to elitist Colombo schools, and what began in the kindergarten, continued right up to university level.

In fact, right up to the mid sixties, English was the sole language of instruction, for higher education. Today, undergraduates studying in Sinhala and Tamil streams are at a distinct disadvantage, as the best available literature on any subject is in English.

Further, they are in a disadvantageous position in the job market, as the language of the private sector is largely English.

In this globalised world, English has become indispensable at every level. Several western developed countries are outsourcing work to developing countries, and Sri Lanka is unable to rise to its full potential, because the percentage of people fluent in English is comparatively low.

English that is taught, even in the English medium today, in secondary education, is far below standard. The standard of English and education in general, in India and Pakistan, for instance, has greatly improved.

In the past, Sri Lanka had produced many top English teachers to serve in British schools. Today, India, and even American schools, are increasingly seeking Indian English teachers, who are quite accomplished, thanks to the curriculum and culture of education.

The level of investment in and outsourcing to India, from western countries, speaks volumes of the country’s accomplishments.

Even at this late stage, it is wise, if Sri Lanka could eat humble pie and take a leaf out of India, to take that language leap or, be stewed in her own vernacular juice.

On the one hand, you have a passion for raising the status of the Tamil language for cultural and political reasons and on the other, you have a passion to suppress Tamil and let Sinhala dominate national life. In this dialectical struggle, the importance of English is undermined.

The answer lies in forging ahead by taking the plunge in English, while preserving the vernacular for posterity.

It is to the credit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, that he has directed his advisor, Sunimal Fernando, to draw up a programme similar to the Indian model that has brought about a revolutionary change in English language skills, in India in general and Tamil Nadu in particular, as pointed out in an article in our sister paper, The Nation.