Proposal to conduct Law College exams in English defeated in Parliament
March 21, 2023 11:37 am
The proposal to Parliament that all courses and exams conducted at the Sri Lanka Law College should be held in English has been defeated.
The proposal was defeated during a vote at this morning’s (21 March) Parliamentary session, when 113 Members of Parliament (MPs) voted against the decision taken by the Sri Lanka Law College to make English the mandatory medium of examination, with MP Chandima Weerakkody being the only one who voted in favour of the proposal.
During former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s tenure, a Gazette was passed on the proposal made by Minister Ali Sabry, who served as the Minister of Justice at the time, making it mandatory that all Law College exams be held in English.
The relevant Gazette was issued by the Incorporated Council of Legal Education in December 2020.
Subsequently, however, several parties including Ministers, MPs and the Law College Students Union criticized the move, deeming it unfair on a majority of the students.
The Ministerial Consultative Committee on Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms also did not agree to the decision taken by the Council of Legal Education.
