Students sitting the Attorneys-at-Law examinations at the Sri Lanka Law College have been prejudiced as it has been made mandatory for them to sit for the examination only in the English medium from this year as per the provisions of the Gazette Extraordinary No.2208/13 of December 30, 2020, the Students’ Union said.
The Sinhala and Tamil Language Rights Union of the Sri Lanka Law College pointed out that this rule is unfair as most of the students have entered and are entering the Law College after receiving a 13-year formal education in their native languages.
“Although it was possible for the students to sit the examinations in a medium of their choice earlier, suddenly compelling them to sit for the examinations in an unfamiliar language has left them in a state of severe uncertainty and caused them stress ahead of the examinations,” they said.
The particular gazette issued under the Council of Legal Education Ordinance (Chapter 276) orders to conduct all courses at the Sri Lanka Law College in the English Medium and that English shall be the mandatory medium of examinations from this year.
Accordingly, a minimum of three subjects should be answered in the English medium in the Preliminary Year commencing from 2022, a minimum of five subjects should be answered in the English medium in the Intermediate Year commencing from 2023 and all subjects should be answered in the English Medium in the Final Year commencing from 2024.
“Sinhala and Tamil languages are used in all Courts in Sri Lanka except the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Almost all documents such as motions, charge sheets and indictments are also drafted in the local languages and many oral communication activities, such as, the examination of witnesses, conducting identification parades are also conducted in the said two languages. Therefore, this rule deprives the students of their right to study law in their mother tongue”, the union said.
Accordingly, Law College students request the Government to reconsider this rule and amend the particular gazette enabling students to face these examinations in their mother tongue.Students also visited the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatta Chapter and the Anunayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter on October 12 to inform them on this matter.
by Daily News Sri Lanka
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