Abstract:
Language is a medium of communication and a major tool for social integration. In the
post war context of Sri Lanka, it was widely believed that Tamil and Sinhala languages can and
should be used to create mutual understanding and harmony among the communities. Hence, in
Sri Lanka teaching Sinhala as a second language to speakers of Tamil has gained a prominent
place in the national agenda for ethnic harmony. According to this, in Sri Lanka Sinhala is taught
in Sinhala schools as a mother language as a compulsory course from primary classes to high
grades. As the same manner, the Sinhala Language is taught in Tamil schools as a second
language. Similarly, the Sinhalese students in the university are offered Sinhala from the
Bachelor’s degree to the Post Graduate Degree. Teachers are also taught in teachers training
colleges. In other universities, Sinhala is taught as a secondary language, certificate course in the
Open University of Sri Lanka. Sinhala is taught as a second language since the past twenty years.
Today, students who study Tamil as a mother language in Sri Lanka are in the process of learning
Sinhala as a second language. There is a need for a second language not only at school level but
at the professionals well especially in the government and private sectors. In this way, there are
various issues related to the curriculum, modules, continuous assessment, teacher and learner
social environment when teaching Sinhala as a second language for Tamil students. Among them,
there are various issues related to students. They also make the lowering of the student’s directory
level. Hence, they were involved in the process of learning Sinhala as a second language in the
Open University of Sri Lanka. Many of the problems related to students and their learning
teaching, have an impact. Therefore, the problems faced by the students and the teachers in Sinhala
learning teaching as secondary language in the Open University of Sri Lanka are being examined.
Therefore, the study is aimed at analyzing the problems faced by students in Sinhala learning
teaching as a second language in The Open University of Sri Lanka. It aims at improving the
quality of the students and improving the quality of the course by presenting their solutions.
