Tamil civil servants will be required to learn Sinhala through a government sponsored programme, which has also been introduced in pre-schools in the North-East, according to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's office.
All newly recruited civil servants and former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who completed the military’s controversial rehabilitation programme, will have to attend a training programme conducted by the Rehabilitation Commissioner General's Office and National Language Training Centre.
Tamil pre-school children are being taught Sinhala by their teachers, as part of the programme.
Language training will be provided in Vavuniya, Poonthottam, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna.