Sindhi Language Authority

{{Short description|Autonomous institution of the Government of Sindh, Pakistan}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Sindhi Language Authority

| native_name = {{resize|{{Naskh|سنڌي ٻوليءَ جو با اختيار ادارو}}}}

| abbreviation = SLA

| formation = {{Start date and years ago|df=y|1992}}

| image =

| caption = Emblem of the SLA

| map = Sindhi Language Authority .jpg

| mcaption = Headquarters of the SLA

| type =Autonomous institution under the Government of Sindh

| founder = Nabi Bakhsh Baloch

| language = Sindhi

| headquarters = SLA Headquarters

| location = Rani Bagh, Qasimabad, Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

| leader_title = Chairperson

| leader_name = Ishaq Samejo

| website = {{URL|sindhila.org}}

}}

The Sindhi Language Authority (abbreviated as SLA; {{langx|sd|{{resize|{{Naskh|سنڌي ٻوليءَ جو با اختيار ادارو}}}}|translit= Sindhī Bōlī’a Jō Bā Ikhtiyār Idārō}}) is an autonomous institution under the Government of the Pakistani province of Sindh that fosters the Sindhi language and literature, works to develop and promote the language in Sindh, and to do original research in the Sindhi language. It comes under the administrative control of the Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department.{{cite web|url=http://web.culture.gos.pk/|title=Culture Tourism and Antiquities Department|publisher=|access-date=11 June 2015|archive-date=31 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331021157/http://web.culture.gos.pk/|url-status=dead}}

The SLA was established under the act Use of Sindhi Language Act 1972, and the Teaching, Promotion and Use of Sindhi Language (Amendment) Act, 1990 of the Government of Sindh.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sindhila.org/PDF/documents/Sindh_Act_VIII_1990.pdf |title=The Sindh Government Gazette |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065154/http://www.sindhila.org/PDF/documents/Sindh_Act_VIII_1990.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{cite news|title=Cronyism-hit SLA of little service to Sindhi|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/766591/cronyism-hit-sla-of-little-service-to-sindhi|accessdate=13 July 2016|agency=Dawn|date=November 24, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sindhila.org/PDF/documents/Sindh_Act_VIII_1990.pdf|title=PAS/Legis-B-5/90 dated 23 December 1990|publisher=|access-date=11 June 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065154/http://www.sindhila.org/PDF/documents/Sindh_Act_VIII_1990.pdf|url-status=dead}} There is a Board of Governors to frame the policies for achieving the aims and objectives of authority and ensure their implementation. The first Board of Governors was constituted under the chairmanship of Nabi Bux Khan Baloch, a scholar and writer.

Since the establishment of the Sindhi Language Authority, different scholars and writers were appointed as its chairman, who have contributed to the development and promotion of the Sindhi language.{{cite web|url=http://sl.sindhila.org/en/lets-learn-sindhi/21-sindhila/about-sindhi/175-present-chairman|title=Present Chairman of Sindhi Language Authority|last=Official site|first=Official Site|date=26 December 2018|website=|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417182404/http://sl.sindhila.org/en/lets-learn-sindhi/21-sindhila/about-sindhi/175-present-chairman|archive-date=17 April 2019|url-status=dead|access-date=}}

Objectives

The Sindhi Language Authority (SLA) explores strategies to advance, educate, and encourage the utilization of Sindhi. Additionally, it upholds and enhances the standing of Sindhi across official and semi-official documentation. SLA also oversees the proper application of Sindhi in official records, manuals, publications, textbooks, newspapers, television and radio broadcasts, periodic publications, and other enduring documents.{{cite web|url=http://pdc.duhs.edu.pk/innerpage.php?button=eventdetail&id=2201&event=2|title=Welcome to Dow University of Health Sciences|website=pdc.duhs.edu.pk}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pas.gov.pk/index.php/business/stn/en/19/287|title=Welcome to the Website of Provincial Assembly of Sindh|website=www.pas.gov.pk}}

Organizational structure

Sindhi Language Authority has been administratively divided i seven sections for achieving its objectives which are: Publication & Research Section which deals all kinds of books publication, research journals and magazines, Program Sections which arranges day to day planned programs, dramas linguistic seminars and symposiums, Encyclopedia Sindhiana{{cite web|url=http://encyclopediasindhiana.org/|title=انسائيڪلوپيڊيا سنڌيانا : (Sindhianaسنڌيانا)|website=encyclopediasindhiana.org}} which has vital team of researchers who collects data from all over the Sindh and compile it in alphabetically order and publish it in series of the Encyclopedia, Dictionary Section{{Cite web |url=http://www.sindhila.org/dics.php |title=آن لائين سنڌي ڊڪشنري Online Sindhi Dictionary: Sindhi Language Authority |access-date=17 June 2015 |archive-date=27 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627114744/http://www.sindhila.org/dics.php |url-status=dead }} deals the etymology and compilation of the Sindhi Language thesaurus, Language Development Project section{{Cite web |url=http://web.culture.gos.pk/index.php/2014-06-20-08-18-13/photo-gallery/event/Sindhi%20Language%20Authority%20Awards%20 |title=Sindhi Language Authority Awards |access-date=17 June 2015 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092347/http://web.culture.gos.pk/index.php/2014-06-20-08-18-13/photo-gallery/event/Sindhi%20Language%20Authority%20Awards%20 |url-status=dead }} (Planning & development) arranges the helping seminars and add-on sittings with Literary and academics departments under the umbrella of Government of Sindh for development & implementing Sindhi Language in institutions, Muhammad Ibrahim Joyo Audio & Video Studio where multimedia programs, interviews and tradition folk literary people of Sindh shares their creative skills poetry and Sindhi Folk wisdom and Sindhi Informatics section develops web portals of Sindhi Literature & Sindhi programming of digitization in Sindhi Computing.

The authority has been administratively divided into three departments known as Publication,{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/593831/regional-literature-a-landmark-publication|title=Regional Literature: A landmark publication|first=From|last=InpaperMagazine|date=26 December 2010|publisher=}} Programs and Institute of Sindhi Computing.

= Publication & Research Section =

On the publication and research Section also known as Encyclopedia Sindhiana,{{cite web|url=http://encyclopediasindhiana.org/|title=انسائيڪلوپيڊيا سنڌيانا : (Sindhianaسنڌيانا)|website=encyclopediasindhiana.org}} dictionaries,{{cite web|url=http://sl.sindhila.org/en/publications/books/itemlist/tag/Dictionary|title=Dictionaries|publisher=}} classical Sindhi books,{{cite web|url=http://sl.sindhila.org/en/publications/books/itemlist/tag/Sindhi%20Language|title=Classical Sindhi books|publisher=}} books for children{{cite web|url=http://sl.sindhila.org/en/publications/books/itemlist/tag/Children%E2%80%99s%20Literature|title=books for children|publisher=}} research material on Sindhi language and literature{{cite web|url=http://sl.sindhila.org/en/publications/books/itemlist/tag/Research%20Journal|title=research material on Sindhi language and literature|publisher=}} Indus script and Indus civilization etc and other different descriptions have been published. A news report in 2015 suggested numerous significant issues regarding the governance and academic rigour of SLA publications.{{cite news|title=People of the books|url=http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153067|access-date=1 July 2016|agency=Herald|newspaper=Dawn}}

= Program =

The Program side arranges seminars, symposiums, lectures, training workshops and conferences on various subjects relating to the promotion, teaching and use of Sindhi language. Similarly, “Ibrahim Joyo AV Studio” has prepared significant AV material regarding preservation of dialects and sub- dialects of Sindhi language.

= Institute of Sindhi Computing =

Institute of Sindhi Computing is the youngest section of the Authority. Yet it has achieved progress in Sindhi Computing. It has launched several Android based mobile applications.{{cite web|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=6572220615273903682|title=Sindhi Language Authority (Sindhi Computing Deptt) - Android Apps on Google Play|website=play.google.com}} Moreover Sindhi language has been registered on Microsoft cloud and added Sindhi language in core programming of Google. SLA is also the member of Microsoft Partnership Networks.

On 21 February 2017, SLA launched first Sindhi Optical character recognition{{Cite web | url=http://sindhiocr.com/our-team.php | title=Sindhi Optical Character Recognition}} by the Team leader Amar Fayaz Buriro who was continuously working on this project and finally launched its first beta version.{{cite web | url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1335883/software-convert-handwritten-sindhi-words-code-developed | title=Software to convert handwritten Sindhi words into code developed | date=23 February 2017 }}{{Cite web |url=https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=22_02_2017_119_005 |title=Dawn|access-date=5 September 2019 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905192308/https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php%3FStoryImage%3D22_02_2017_119_005 |url-status=dead }}

The authority established the Sindhi Dictionary Board for the compilation of dictionary.{{cite news|title=Plagiarise this: Sindhi Language Authority accused of copy pasting|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/705980/plagiarise-this-sindhi-language-authority-accused-of-copy-pasting/|accessdate=13 July 2016|agency=The Express Tribune}}

The Authority wrote letters to the private schools of the province to teach Sindhi language subject in their schools and it also demanded sign boards on the national highways and roads be written in Sindhi.{{cite news|title=Local language: SLA demands signboards in Sindhi|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/1050035/local-language-sla-demands-signboards-in-sindhi/|accessdate=13 July 2016|agency=The Express Tribune}}{{cite journal|last1=Hauze|first1=Emily|title=SINDHI LANGUAGE AUTHORITY|journal=Indus Asia Online Journal |url=https://iaoj.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/sindhi-language-authority/|accessdate=13 July 2016|date=4 March 2016}}

List of SLA chairpersons

Since the establishment of Sindhi Language Authority below mentioned Scholars were appointed as chairman.

class="wikitable"
S # || Name || From || To
1Nabi Bux Khan Baloch15 Feb 19916 Mar 1994
2Nawaz Ali Shouq6 Mar 19943 Apr 1995
3Nabi Bux G. Qazi3 Apr 199517 Nov 1996
4Mumtaz Mirza ( Additional Charge)17 Nov 19966 Jan 1997
5Amar Jaleel7 Jan 19975 May 1997
6Abdul Hameed Memon Sindhi6 May 199722 Jul 1997
7Ghulam Ali Allana22 Jul 1998{{cite web|url=http://www.oup.com.pk/shopexd.asp?id=1918|title=Oxford University Press|website=www.oup.com.pk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706203059/http://oup.com.pk/shopexd.asp?id=1918|archive-date=6 July 2012|df=dmy-all}}1 Aug 2001
8Mohammad Qasim Bughio1 Aug 200115 Feb 2005
9N.D.Jatoi (Additional Charge)16 Feb 200515 Sep 2005
10Abdul Qadir Junejo15 Sep 200510 May 2008
11Fahmida Hussain28 May 2008{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/306014/karachi-dr-fehmida-appointed-sla-chairperson|title=KARACHI: Dr Fehmida appointed SLA chairperson|date=5 June 2008|publisher=}}13 March 2015
12Aftab Ahmed Memon (Acting)15 March 201514 May 2015
13Sarfaraz Rajar (Temporary)15 May 201514 Oct 2016
14Dr. Abdul Ghafoor Memon{{cite web|url=http://asianetpakistan.com/general/285133/prof-abdul-ghafoor-memon-selected-as-chairman-sindhi-language-authority/|title=Prof. Abdul Ghafoor Memon selected as Chairman Sindhi Language Authority : AsiaNet-Pakistan|website=asianetpakistan.com}}14 Oct 201631 Oct 2018
15

|Mr. Akbar Laghari (Additional Charge)

|26 Dec 2018

|22 Sept 2019

16

|Mr. Pervez Ahmed Sehar (Additional Charge)

|22 Sept 2019

|8 Nov 2019

17

|Mr. Akbar Laghari (Additional Charge)

|9 Nov 2019

|28 July 2020

18

|Prof.Dr. Muhammad Ali Manjhi

|28 July 2020

|4 March 2022

19

|Dr. Naseem ul Ghani Sahito (Additional Charge)

|4 March 2022

|4 August 2022

20

|Dr. Ishaq Samejo

|5 Aug 2022

| To date

References

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