Free Tamil Language Classes for the Sinhala Community

PHPO offers free Tamil language classes to the Sinhala community. This increases the potential for communication and understanding between these neighbouring communities in northern Sri Lanka; so reducing the possibility of conflict arising through linguistic misunderstandings.

Description

This initiative started as a response to a request made by the Budugehinna community in 2002. At present it has two centres, one at Budugehinna Temple and another at Galenbindunuwewa Divisional Secretariat. It is expected to begin Tamil language training centres all over the Anuradhapura District in the next phase of the programme.

Free translation of materials for social service organisations is also provided as a component of this programme.

Aims / Objectives

The initiative aims to improve inter-ethnic understanding and connection, through enabling members of the two communities to communicate verbally with each other. The participants will be able to express themselves independently, without the assistance of a translator, thus ensuring that what they want to communicate is actually communicated. Furthermore, they will be able to understand what Tamil-speaking people say to them, thus reducing mistrust and strengthening inter-ethnic relationships.

One of the main reasons for the initiation and continuation of the conflict is the lack of communication between ethnicities, and mistrust due to the inability to understand each other. Providing Tamil language teaching to the largely monolingual Sinhala community aims to address this cause of the conflict.

How it is Articulated

Requests from the community will lead to the selection of a public gathering place in the village for the classes to be conducted (this can be a temple or a community building). The language classes held there will provide education to the interested students in the area.

The classes are conducted four hours per day, two days per week. Teaching is conducted on a voluntary basis and the education is provided free of charge. The curriculum follows the standards set by the State Languages Department. There are four teachers currently teaching, and ninety students enrolled in the two centres.

Achievements / Learning Points

Since PHPO started their first Tamil language teaching class, the people in Anuradhapura District have come to recognise them as a group who specialise in this area and this particular method of improving connections between different ethnic groups. Because of this reputation, when PHPO begin working with a new village on health issues, they are often asked for language training.

Through their classes, PHPO was able to provide the students with enough Tamil language skills to communicate effectively. In Tsunami relief activities carried out in Tamil speaking areas by Sinhala speaking people, these students were able to effectively gather and disseminate information on the disaster survivors and their requirements, because of their bilingualism.

Tamil is not a compulsory language in schools and it is widely considered to be a secondary language. Therefore the status accorded to the language by the state is lower than that of Sinhalese and English. Accordingly, this lessens the motivation for the public to learn Tamil. However, being fluent in both Tamil and Sinhala is a way of enhancing connection, building trust and improving understanding between ethnicities. Therefore upgrading the status of Tamil will contribute to PHPO’s efforts at contributing to conflict transformation in the country thorough enabling inter-ethnic understanding.

Geographical Area of Operation

Anuradhapura

Funding Resources

PHPO

Associated Organisations

Budugehinna Temple, Galenbindunuwewa Divisional Secretariat, State Languages Department.