The Ministry responsible for Official Languages, in close cooperation with its institutions (Department of Official Languages (DOL), Official Languages Commission (OLC), National Institute of Language Education and Training (NILET)), will be coordinating the implementation of the OLP implementation strategy and providing support to the government ministries and institutions. Although the responsibility of implementing the OLP is with all government ministries and institutions, the Official Languages Policy Implementation Strategy will be directed, in the short term, to a limited number of key Ministries and Institutions for delivery of their services in both official languages in selected geographic areas, thus becoming models for other ministries and institutions.
The following key Ministries/Institutions have been selected because they are taking on more profile in the realization of the National Strategy for Official Languages Policy Implementation, are demonstrating consistent commitment, and are responsible for important service delivery components which put them directly in the public eye regarding language rights in day-to-day service provision:
- Ministry of Public Administration and Management (Public Service Commission, Sri Lanka Institute for Development Administration)
- Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine (Designated Hospitals and Community Health Centers)
- Ministry of Justice (Designated Magistrates, District Courts and High Courts of Sri Lanka)
- Ministry of Internal and Home Affairs & Provincial Councils and Local Government (Designated District Secretariats and Divisional Secretariats, Provincial Councils and Local Authorities)
- Ministry of Law and Order (Sri Lanka Police)
- Ministry of Education
Within these selected Ministries/Institutions, and in addition to Central Offices in Colombo, District Secretariats will be identified based on geographic locations of designated Bilingual Divisional Secretariats. At the provincial level, the Official Languages Policy implementation strategy will focus primarily in four provinces: the Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern provinces, given the demographics that manifest in each of those areas, their relevance to national reconciliation, and the need for sustained quality delivery of public services in both official languages.
Part 3 – Elements of the OLP implementation strategy
Hilaire Lemoine
Language Policy Advisor/NLEAP Special Advisor/Language Policy and International Relations,
Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI), University of Ottawa
