Though the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) objected to it earlier, they were now in favour. According to the ministry of higher education, students who enter universities from this year would be given the opportunity to follow subjects in the English medium. The Ministry also decided to provide a full time English course in the first six months to undergraduates who get into university.

Even though the present minister of higher education initiated the programme, former minister, Vishwa Warnapala had also decided that he would start such a programme but it never got off the ground. Earlier there were protests over conducting courses in English. However, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha points out that the idea of the University of Sabaragamuwa to offer subjects in English regardless of the protests, worked out for the common good.

He said that at present other than for the arts faculty, all other faculties at the Sabaragamuwa campus conducted courses in English.
Prof. C. Athukorala of the University of Sri Jayawardanapura pointed out that students will get a better opportunity of acquiring knowledge if they followed courses in English.

The Dean of the Faculty of Education of the University of Colombo, S. Chandrasekaran said that there is a high demand in the job market for those who were educated in English. “Presently 15% of students are employed in the government sector while 35% are employed in the private sector, while the rest are self-employed,’’ he said.

Professor C. Athukorala further said that our state university degree holders have to compete with degree holders from private institutes which cater to students in the English medium, in the job market. He pointed out that those who studied in the English medium got the advantage.

Although there is a clamour to learn and teach English, the IUSF says there is a severe dearth of teachers, “The English Language Teaching Unit in each university has been set up to teach English, but the facilities are inadequate to teach students the language. Retired lecturers are the teachers at this unit and it was not upto expected standards. There was a sad inadequecy in deploying proper teaching methods” charged Undul Premarathna of IUSF. Professor C. Athukorala also agreed that this was the reality.

Prof. S. Chandrasekaran says that a programme must be launched to impart an English education to children while they are in school.
“Normally 62% of students fail English at the O/L. Of this, eighty per cent of students who pass English reside in Colombo. Only 8% passed in English in the Dimbulagala area. In the Matale district just 4%” passed. This is the position of students who sit for the O/Ls” said Udul Premarathna.

School level

Both Prof. C. Athukorala and Prof.S. Chandrasekaran were of the view that offering subjects in English at university level will not be successful without imparting a good English education at school level.

“The ministry of higher education is planning to grant university opportunities only to those who qualify at the examination held at the end of the English course, but we are not in favour of this situation. Other than that we have no issues at all about granting opportunities to study in English” said Udul Premarathna.

Prof. C. Athukorala stated that a course in English Language and Information Technology would be offered to students who are selected for university admission. This course is provided a month before the course proper begins. The opinion of experts in English is that students should be exposed to the English language when in school.