Abstract:
After completing more than fifty years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and
Japan, Japan plays a crucial role in Sri Lankan economy, culture and education.
Economic and cultural relations including trade and tourism have increased the interest
among Sri Lankans in Japan, its people and its language. With the so called “Japanese
Boom” taking the Asian sub-continent with a storm, Japanese studies is a field which
boasts of many academics and researchers. In respect of Sri Lanka, Japanese is the
language with the highest demand in the field of foreign language education with the
highest number of students offering it for their secondary and higher education.
The Japanese language education boom which started in the 80’s, has now achieved its
pinnacle where it has been included in the secondary and tertiary level education.
Traditional book-based, teacher centred teaching methods have been replaced with
more modernised methods of teaching. Multi-media teaching aids, computer assisted
teaching and web-based learning have been introduced in order to enhance the quality
of teaching enabling students to engage in their studies more effectively with
enthusiasm.
Even though the interest in Japanese Language Education in Sri Lanka has grown
rapidly since its introduction to Sri Lanka decades ago, no considerable research that
probes into its development has been carried out. Hence, this paper places its
importance on the history, the present and the future perspectives of Japanese
Language Education in Sri Lanka with an analysis of data collected from the secondary
schools and at tertiary level including universities, language schools, and technical
colleges. The role played by the Japanese Government through various institutions and
organizations such as the Japan Foundation and the Japanese Language Education
Association is also considered. Consequently, it will bring forth an understanding of the
number of students and schools which offer Japanese as a foreign language,
qualifications of the teachers and the facilities available. In summary, this paper probes
into the history of Japanese language education, its progress, analyse the quality of
teaching and learning and the benefits that have been imparted. Moreover, it will throw
light on the standards achieved, the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching
methodology, the facilities available and on the future perspectives in Japanese
language education in Sri Lanka.
