915_dev of Tamil Sch Edu in Msia

DEVELOPMENT OF

SCHOOL EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

An Analysis of Achivements & Challenges

Manikam Krishnan

DEVELOPMENT OF

SCHOOL EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

An Analysis of Achivements & Challenges

Manikan~ Krishnan

Yayasan Strategik Sosial

QYSS 2008

Published by Yayasan Strategik Sosial (YSS)

Tingkat 5, Menara Manickavasagan, 1 Jalan Rahmat, 50530 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-40415958 Fax: 03-40415681

E-mail: [email protected] Website; www.vss98.com

ISBN No. 978-983-43309-4-1

Designed by INGARA PROMOTION

Printed by SAMPOORNA

No. 1, Jalan TIB 1/19 Taman Industry Bolton

68100 Batu Caves Selangor Darul Ehsan

CONTENTS

Foreword by Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu

Introduction by Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria

Acknowledgements

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

1. History and Development Tamil Primary Schools in Malaysia 10

2. Enrolment in Tamil school on the rise 16

3. Memorandum for the development of Tamil school 18

QUALITY EDUCATION

4. Quality of Tamil school: An analysis from 1993-2003

5. Trained teacher in primary schools

6. Comparison between Tamil school and

National school students

7. Tamil school students fare better in

Mathematics and Science

8. Poverty is no barrier to excel

9. Decisions made in Tamil School Action Council meetings

10. Happy family and effective leadership

11. Tamil School Headmasters' Symposium 2004

12. Tamil School Headmasters' Symposium 2007

13. UPSR Revision Book Workshop

14. UPSR Revision book to improve result

15. Appreciation for top achievers in Tamil schools

16. Meaningful programs for quality education

17. Continuous programs and social supports 78

18. Giving a fresh impetus to Tamil school students through camps 81

INFRASTRUCTURE

19. Tamil school rebuilding requirements 86

20. Tamil school building program 2003 89

21. Kelantan Tamil school with hostel facilities 91

22. Tamil schools need RM4 million for immediate repairs 93

23. RM500,OOO for Simpang Lima Tamil school 95

24. Facelift for Tamil school 97

ISSUES

25. Pahang Tamil school issues 102

26. Tamil schools to stay on 105

27. Under-enrolled Tamil schools 109

28. Teaching of Mathematics and Science in Tamil schools 111

29. Pupils' opinion on teaching of Mathematics and

Science in English 118

30. Pre school in Tamil schools 123

POST PRIMARY EDUCATION

31. Towards secondary school 130

32. A preparatory programs for Tamil school leavers 133

33. Preparing Tamil school students to enter secondary school 136

34. The contents of "Towards Secondary School" guidebook 139

35. Some tips for Tamil school students 142

FOREWORD

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu President, Malaysian Indian Congress

Human capital development has been an important agenda in the Malaysian education system. Every child is given an opportunity to acquire formal

education and various platforms are being created to tap their potentials. Malaysia being a multi-ethnic and multi religious country, allows the co- existence and progress of vernacular schools which have been an integral part in human capital development .

Tamil school being the heart of the Malaysian Indian community has been in existence for more than 100 years. The schools which were initially set up in rubber plantations now have become a choice for more than 52% of Indian children who are in their primary school going age to embark on their educational journey. Hence Tamil schools are being upgraded with state-of-the-art facilities and provided with quality education.

The initiative taken by Mr Manikam Krishnan to showcase the existence and development of Tamil schools in this country is commendable. He has highlighted the achievements and challenges experienced by Tamil schools over the years. He has been able to identify the actions taken by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and the government in addressing the issues faced by Tamil schools.

I am fully aware and recognise that he has been involved in research work relating to Tamil schools besides carrying out various other researches on issues affecting the Indian community. I firmly believe that this book will be an important record and document of what the MIC, YSS and the government have done for the betterment of Tamil schools.

I therefore take this opportunity to congratulate him and encourage him to carry on his good work on Tamil schools. I also thank YSS for the role it has played in policy research and publication of this book.

30 April 2008

INTRODUCTION

theme. However, while there have been many recent newspaper and internet write ups, there has not been a contemporary publication which is comprehensive.

A majority of articles on Tamil schools in the past have either highlighted the infrastructure problems or the negative aspects of the quality of education. There are very few write ups, which recognize both positive developments in terms of the quality of education and improved infrastructure alongside the challenges encountered in terms of where the root problems lie and what ought to be done in the future.

Since the inception of YSS in 1997, YSS has undertaken policy research and advocacy work on Tamil schools as one of its major undertakings. YSS has served as the secretariat to the Tamil School Action Council established by the MIC President, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Manikam Krishnan in this book entitled 'Development of Tamil School Education In Malaysia, An Analysis of Achievements and Challenges has clearly provided not only the historical overview but an accurate assessment of the current issues, trends, concerns including future challenges, possibilities and opportunities.

The endeavour of Manikam Krishnan is therefore a very welcomed initiative that gives the most recent update on the status of Tamil schools, providing analysis of both achievements and challenges. Furthermore, he has documented the most important developn~ents that have taken place in recent years.

The book is divided into five main sections with a total of 35 short articles written between 2002 and 2008 which appeared in the YSS website (www.yss98.com)

The book starts with three articles on background information such as history, enrolment and requirements.

The second section contains fifteen articles describing the quality of education in Tamil schools. These articles recognize some weaknesses and cite the tremendous developments that have been achieved overall, noting teaching and learning experiences.

Also what is significant is the vivid description of the initiatives taken by MIC, MIED and YSS together with the Tamil School Action Council members. Those initiatives include preparation of special revision books, camps, and headmasters symposiums. These programmes have helped motivate students especially top achievers, with special appreciation and recognition.

The third section is on infrastructure requirements containing six articles. Current needs are highlighted along with the initiatives taken by MIC through the assistance of the Ministry of Education in addressing the infrastructure needs.

The next section with six articles highlights some key issues such as the future of Tamil schools, issue of under-enrolled Tamil schools, need for pre schools and issues pertaining to teaching of Mathematics and Science in English.

The final section containing five articles is another area of major concern namely the shift from primary into secondary schools with compounding concerns pertaining to children's adjustment from mono cultural to multi cultural environment and a shift into national language education in all major subjects.

On behalf of YSS, I congratulate Manikam Krishnan for this painstaking exercise over time to document his thoughts through these articles. These can be regarded as preliminary thoughts and views requiring further intensive research and academic work in future for the development of Tamil school education within the framework of the National Education Policy of Malaysia. May others be challenged to build on these writings.

30 April 2008

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I express deepest appreciation to Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, President of the Malaysian Indian Congress and the Founder/Patron of YSS who has been a motivating force for me to undertake various studies pertaining to the issues and concerns of Tamil schools. His commitment and dedication to strengthen Tamil school education has highly motivated me to undertake the needful initiatives for the development of Tamil schools.

My sincere gratitude goes to Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, Executive Director of YSS for his support and encouragement that has spurred me write articles concerning Tamil schools for the YSS website. Now they are subsequently published in this book form. With his guidance and advice I have tremendously improved my analytical and writing skills. He has instilled a high level of confidence in my self that has led me to work independently and efficiently.

I take this opportunity to record my gratitude to Mrs Jasmine Adaickalam, Service Consultant of YSS for consistently proof reading and editing the articles written by me for YSS websites and also for editing the text of this book. She has greatly contributed towards my language improvement.

I would also like to thank Mr P. Vasanthakumar for his contribution in proof reading the text and Mr and Mrs Maniam of Ingara Promotion for their creative roles in cover design, layout and art work.

Finally I thank my beloved wife, Yesotha Pabu Chinniah and my family members for their continuous support and encouragement towards my career enhancement and community work.

Manikam Krishnan

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

Develo~ment of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

History And Development of Tamil Primary Schools in Malaysia

The then British rulers brought labourers from South India in 1840 to

work in the sugar plantations. The number of labourers from South

India had seen a drastic increase in 1890 when the British opened rubber

plantations in Malaya. Besides, labourers, traders and educated Indians

also came to Malaya during those periods.

In order to keep the labourers stay longer in Malaya, the employers

built Tamil schools for the children in the estates. But Tanlil education

in urban areas started when a Tamil primary school was established by

Rev H.S Hutching at Penang Free Scliool in the State of Pulau Pinang in

1816. The Tamil school was a division in the Penang Free School. In 1850

an Anglo Tamil school was set up in Malacca. Rev Abraham established

an Anglo Tamil school in Kuala Lumpur in 1896.

More Tamil primary schools were opened in the estates by the estate

management when the rubber estates grew up in numbers by the end

of the nineteenth century.

Initially, the British government refused to build Tamil schools for

the estate children as they were not expected to stay in Malaya for a long period. The estate managements and Christian Missionaries were

History & Background

responsible for the beginning of Tamil education in our country.

Some religious organizations, social organizations and individuals

were also responsible in building several Tamil schools in the urban

areas. Thamboosamy Pillai Tamil School in Kuala Lumpur was built

by Rajasooria in 1905. Appar Tamil school was built in 1937 in Kuala

Lumpur by Swamy Athmaram.

In 1912, Tamil education in Malaya marked a milestone when the British

government introduced the Labour Ordinance, which ensured that the

estate managements had to set up Tamil schools if there were more

than 10 school-going children in the estate. The employers had to recruit

teachers for the Tamil schools as well. But many employers refused to

build Tamil schools in the estates.

In 1923 the British Government passed Labour Code due to pressure

from the Indian Government. Estate employers were asked to build

Tamil schools in their estates for the estate children.

There were 235 schools in 1925 in the Federated Malay States. It rose to

333 schools in 1930 within a span of five years. However many estate

owners refused to provide better facilities for Tamil schools and it

caused the children to study in dilapidated buildings, in temples and

former smoke houses.

Between 1930 and 1938, there were some improvements in Tamil

education when the Indian Government was concerned about the

mistreatment of Indian labourers in Malaya. As a result, the Malayan

Government set up a special committee to provide financial assistance

to Tamil schools, appointed inspectors for Tamil schools and also started

teachers' training. In 1937,45 persons attended teachers' training.

Develo~ment of Tamil School Education in Malaysia

In 1947, Tamil schools entered the second phase when the British

Government became responsible for Tamil schools and teacher's salary.

The number of Tamil scl~ools had also increased tremendously. By 1947,

there were 741 Tamil primary schools in Malaya with 33,945 students.

Before independence, the Tamil school curriculum did not have teaching

of Malay and English languages. Emphasis was given only to reading,

writing and arithmetic skills at the lower primary level while writing

composition and geography was taught in the higher primary level.

Furthermore, school text books were brought from India.

After World War 11, the government started showing serious attention

to vernacular education by enforcing the Education Law 1946. This Law

emphasised on free mother tongue education and increased the grant

provision to Tamil schools. This move paved the way to the increase of

students in Tamil schools.

Barnes Report 1951 with reference to the Malay education proposed

the National Education Policy. It questioned the existence of Tamil and

Chinese schools. The Report emphasised on Malay medium schools

and proposed that the English medium schools be replaced with Malay

medium schools in 10 years' time and Tamil and Chinese schools be

converted to Malay medium schools gradually. As a reaction to this

report, the Indian community set up a committee to protest against the

Barnes Report, which ignored mother tongue education.

The British Government set up a committee made up of Dr W.P Fenn and

Dr Wu Teck Yau. This committee came up with Fenn-Wu Report. This report warned that national unity and mutual understanding among the

people would be affected if a single language policy was implemented.


It further proposed that Chinese schools must be safeguarded while

English and Malay languages be taught at Chinese Schools.

In the case of Tamil schools, in 1951, the Indian Education Committee

reviewed Tamil school education. It proposed that Tamil must be used

as a medium of instruction till Standard 5 and English can be a medium

of instruction in Standard 6. The committee also proposed the teaching

of English in Standard Four and Malay language in Standard Five.

The proposals of Barnes Report and Fenn-Wu Report were contradictory

to the proposals of the Indian Education Committee. In this regards, the

British government set up a Special Education Committee to create an

acceptable education policy for all races. The recommendations made by

the Special Education Committee later emerged as Education Ordinance

1952 (Ordinan Pelajaran). This ordinance stressed that Tamil schools

and Chinese schools gradually become Malay medium schools . The

ordinance also proposed that parents of more than 15 students studying

in Malay schools need to apply for Pupils' Own Language (POL) classes.

The Indians and the Chinese strongly opposed these proposals.

Status of Tamil Schools after independence

The Razak Committee that was set up in 1956 brought about some

changes in Vernacular education. This committee ensured Tamil

school education and Tamil schools were classified as National Type

of School. More financial assistance was provided and remove classes

were introduced for Tamil school children who intended to further

their studies at secondary schools in English. A National curriculum

was proposed for all primary and secondary schools to instil unity and

integration among the various races in the country.

Develo~rnent of Tamil School Education in Malaysia

In 1960 the Rahman Talib Report was initiated which later was

incorporated as the Education Act 1961. The Rahman Talib Report

introduced free education at all types of schools and the teaching of

Malay language from Standard One and English from Standard Three

in Tamil and Chinese schools. Student Assessment Tests started for

Standard Five students in 1967. Since then more training opportunities

were provided to Tamil school teachers and more Tamil schools were

equipped with basic amenities.

There were 657 Tamil primary schools in 1970. The number decreased

to 589 in 1980 when a majority of Indians started migrating from estates

to urban areas due to conversion of rubber plantations to oil palm

plantations and development of estates as industrial and housing areas.

There were 547 Tamil schools in 1990 with 96,120 students.

Since 1980, Tamil primary schools have been witnessing a visible

improvement in the performance of the students, teachers' quality

and fiscal conditions. In 2007, more than 400 out of 523 schools have

been provided with good buildings and basic amenities. More than

90% of the teachers in Tamil primary schools are trained teachers. The

students have also been recording high passes in the Standard Six public

examination (UPSR). For example the passing percentage among Tamil

school students in 2001 was 40.1%. It rose to 59.6% in 2006. In 2001,165

Tamil school students had scored 7As in the UPSR examination. It rose

to 578 students in 2006.

Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and social organizations have been

playing a very important role in uplifting the standard of Tamil Primary

schools in Malaysia. The Government funds have been obtained by MIC

to upgrade the fiscal conditions of Tamil schools. Some of the issues faced

by Tamil schools were also brought to the attention of the government


and additional programs were carried out to improve the performance

of students. In brief, the MIC has been the guardian of Tamil schools

in Malaysia.

In 2002 Tamil schools accepted the government's decision to teach

Mathematics and Science in English as one of the ways to acquire more

knowledge and increase the competency of the students in English.

Now Tamil schools have become more attractive and more middle class

parents and professionals have started enroling their children there.

SJK (T) Indera Mahkota, Kuantan

As at 31 January 2007, there were 105,618 students in the 523 Tamil

primary schools in Malaysia. It has risen from 87,710 students in 2002.

It is expected that the enrolment in Tamil schools would go up further

in the coming years due to better achievement in the UPSR and parents'

confidence in Tamil schools.

Appeared in YSS website on 5th July 2004

Updated: March 2007

Develoornent of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

Enrolment in Tamil Schools On The Rise

Improved facilities and performance of Tamil school students have drawn Indian parents to send their children to Tamil schools. It seems that they have placed a greater confidence on Tamil schools. The proof is the increased enrolment in Tamil schools nationwide where approximately 19,500 students were admitted into Year One this year as compared to 18,300 students last year, said YB Komala Krishnamoorthy, Parliamentary Secretary to Education Ministry.

There were 105,618 students in 523 Tamil schools in 2007. It is expected that the total enrolment would shoot up to 107,000 students in 2008.

Enrolment in Tamil schools (2003-2007)

According to Komala Krishnamoorthy, many Indian professionals such as doctors, lawyers, educationists, etc send their children to Tamil schools with the hope that their children could master Tamil language and at the same time accustom to their cultural values.

It is recorded that many urban Tamil schools have witnessed an increase in enrolment as more than 80% of Indians in the country are residing in urban areas. For example SJK(T) Kulim has an enrolment of 250 students in Year One. There are 1,520 students in the school as compared to the


1,487 students in 2007, said Mr Asok Kumar, the headmaster of the school. "Due to shortage of classrooms, an additional a four-storey building is being constructed with the initiative of YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu and is expected to be completed in September 2008," he added.

SJK(T) Lunas has also recorded an increase in enrolment. The school has 880 students this year, an increase of 70 students from last year. This has resulted in a shortage of classrooms. "To overcome this problem, YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu has secured RM1.2 million to build a three storey building", said its headmaster N. Mariappan.

In Johor, several Tamil schools have recorded an increase in enrolment. 450 students were admitted into Year One at SJK(T) Tun Aminah. Now this school has an overall enrolment of 2,000 students. 230 students have registered in Year One at SJK(T) Masai. SJK(T) Ladang Ulu Tiram being an estate school also has admitted more than 120 students in Year One. There are many big Tamil schools in Selangor where there is a high density of Indian population. SJK(T) Batu Caves which is located in the compound of the Batu Caves Temple has seen an admission of 364 Year One students this year which is an increase of 75 students from last year. Now there are 1700 students studying in the school. SJK(T) Vivekananda, Petaling Jaya has registered more than 300 students in Year One.

Despite the fact that, many Tamil schools have been upgraded and rebuilt with the state-of- the-art facilities, there are still several Tamil schools facing a shortage of classrooms. This problem needs to be addressed immediately so that the affected schools would be able to accommodate all new students and are able to conduct classes in a conducive environment.

Also there is shortage of teachers in several Tamil schools. This also needs to be addressed promptly so that it would not affect the teaching

and learning process in the schools.

Appeared in YSS website on 7th Jailua y 2008

Development of Tamil School Education in Malaysia

Memorandum For The Development Of Tamil School

Recently Tamil language was declared as one of the ancient languages

by the Indian government. It is also one of the official languages in India

and Sri Lanka. It is vastly spoken in Malaysia and Singapore. Besides

this, there are a lot of Tamil speaking people residing in more than 30

countries in the world mainly, Canada, Australia, Britain, USA, and

Europe.

However, Tamil language is taught in Tamil schools only in three

countries, namely, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. In Singapore Tamil is

taught as a compulsory subject for Indian students in schools. In other

countries, Tamil is taught to children by social organizations depending

on the interest shown by parents.

In the Malaysian context, Tamil school is a constitutional right that is

conferred upon Indians whose mother tongue is Tamil. There are 526

Tamil schools in the country, of which 150 schools are fully aided by the

government. These fully aided schools are in good shape. Their physical

conditions as well as the facilities for teaching and learning processes

are definitely better when compared to schools that are partially aided

by the government. Most of the partially aided Tamil schools are located

in the rural areas, mainly in the estates.


On 25 November 2004, YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu led a group of 12

delegates to meet YB Dato Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Tun Hussein,

the Education Minister, at his office, to discuss some of the problems

faced by Tamil schools and to submit a memorandum containing 11

main issues faced by Tamil school.

The Tamil School Action Council with the assistance of Yayasan Strategik

Sosial prepared a memorandum for the development of Tamil schools.

A committee comprising of representatives from Malaya Tamil School

Teachers Union, National Union of Teachng Profession (NUTP), Tamil

School Organisers, and Indian Studies Department studied the various

issues faced by Tamil schools.

Converting partially aided school to fully aided school

Issue

There are 376 (71.5%) out of 523 Tamil schools classified as partially aided schools. Partially aided schools do not have proper physical facilities and

logistics compared to fully aided schools. This causes a not so conducive

teaching and learning environment in the partially aided schools.

Partially aided and fully aided schools

71.5%

Partially aided schools Fully aided schools


Suggestion

All Tamil schools need to be made as fully aided schools so that

sufficient allocation can be channelled to ensure proper teaching and

learning facilities in Tamil schools. Dilapidated Tamil schools can also

be repaired or rebuilt with the provision of sufficient allocation from

the government.

Rebuilding Tamil school

It was found out that there are 129 Tamil schools out of the 523 schools in

dilapidated conditions. Those school buildings are old and not suitable

for the current teaching and learning purposes. In addition, several

portions of the buildings may collapse at any time and may endanger

the security of the students.

Suggestion

The 129 schools need to be repaired or rebuilt immediately. The Ministry

of Education should provide special allocation to rebuild these schools.

It is of paramount importance to create a pleasant teaching and learning

environment to the students and teachers so that they can produce high

quality education.

Basic Amenities in Tamil school

Issue

Most of the Tamil schools especially partially aided schools are not

provided with sufficient basic amenities for the purpose of teaching and

20


learning. For example, enough chairs, tables, cupboards and stationary

are not provided to the partially aided Tamil schools. This situation

weakens the teaching and learning system in Tamil school.

Suggestion

The Malaysian Education Ministry should ensure that the partially aided

Tamil schools are provided with all basic amenities especially chairs,

tables, cupboards, office equipments and stationeries. It is very important

to ensure that the children from low-income families in Tamil schools

study in a place where there are sufficient basic amenities.

Relocation of Tamil school

There are 22 Tamil schools with less than 15 students. Those schools are

located in the estates. The students' enrolment in these schools declined

due to migration of Indian residents from the estates to the urban areas.

It is forecast that there will not be a single student in those schools within

a period of 5 to 10 years.

Tamil schools with less than 15 students need to be relocated to areas

where a big Indian population dwells. The Malaysian Education Ministry

should allow the school to use the license to rebuild the school in the

Indian majority area. A piece of land also needs to be allocated in the

Indian majority area for rebuilding the school.


Shortage of trained teachers in Tamil schools

There is a shortage of 748 trained teachers in Tamil schools nationwide.

The current teachers in Tamil schools are in a situation where the extra

work load needs to be shared due to shortage of trained teachers. It

greatly affects the teaching and learning process in Tamil schools. The

situation becomes worse when the enrolment in Tamil schools increases

every year.

Suggestion

More trained teachers must be recruited in Tamil schools so that the

quality of education in Tamil schools can be upgraded in line with the

National Education Philosophy. The courses given below need to be

offered to more applicants who intend to become trained teachers in

Tamil schools.

Kursus Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah (Teaching course for

graduates)

Program Ijazah Sa rjana Muda Pendidikan bagi bidang pengajian

Bahasa Tamil (Graduate Program in Education for Tamil

Language)

Latihan Perguruan Berasaskan Sekolah (School based Teachers

Training) - for graduate teachers who serve in Tamil school as

untrained temporary teachers.

Recruiting teachers from Malaysian Teachers Diploma Course can also

increase the number of trained Tamil language teachers.


Training in Service

Issue

The Teacher Education Division of the Malaysian Education

Ministry provides opportunities to teachers in service to enhance

their professionalism through various courses but not many Tamil

schoolteachers are provided such opportunities.

Suggestion

Many Tamil schoolteachers should be given the opportunity t o

undergo special programs to become graduate teachers (Program

Khas Pengsiswazahan Guru- PKPG). In order to upgrade the quality of

teaching and learning in Tamil schools, the PKPG program should be

offered to Tamil schoolteachers every year.

Opportunity for the enhancement of professionalism among headmasters

Issue

The Malaysian Education Ministry provides opportunities to long

serving and vastly experienced headmasters in primary schools to

undergo Graduate Teacher Course. Those headmasters who undergo

this course need not leave their posts and they can hold the headmaster's

post during and after the program. In this case, not many Tamil school

headmasters are given the opportunity to undergo this course.


Suggestion

More Tamil school headmasters should be given the opportunity to

undergo this course. The Malaysia Education Ministry should ensure

that Tamil school headmasters are given more opportunities in all

programs for the enhancement of professionalism that are organised

by the ministry.

Tamil speaking officers in District Education Office (PPD)

Issue

Recently all District Education Offices have been restructured by

increasing new posts. In this regard, education officers from Tamil

schools were not appointed to hold any post in the District Education

Office.

Suggestion

In order to reflect the actual racial composition in this country, a Tamil

speaking officer must be appointed in each District Education Office.

There must be a Tamil speaking officer in the District Education Office

if there are 10 or more Tamil schools.

A Tamil speaking officer needs to be appointed to supervise Tamil

schools in two or three districts if there are less than 10 Tamil schools.


Pre School

Issue

Malaysia Education Ministry is expanding the implementation of pre

schools all over the country. Pre schools will be built in 1,500 primary

schools in 2004. Very few Tamil schools have government run pre school

classes

Suggestion

The Malaysian Education Ministry should run pre school classes in

many more Tamil schools so that all Tamil schools will have pre school

classes within 10 years, before the end of Education Development Plan

2001-2010. Furthermore, a majority of Tamil school students are from

low-income families. They are unable to afford studying in private pre

schools.

Computer Lab

Issue

The Malaysian Education Ministry is constructing computer labs in every school in this country. But the construction of computer labs in Tamil

school is very limited.

Suggestion

Malaysian Education Ministry should build more computer labs in

Tamil schools in order to bridge the digital divide among students in

the rural and urban areas. Complete teaching and learning equipments

for computer labs also need to be provided for Tamil schools. 25


Teaching of Malay and English

Issue

Tamil school achievement in Malay and English was lower than that of

other types of schools. The pass rate in Malay paper (comprehension) in

2003 was 60% while Malay paper (writing) was 57.6%. The pass rate in

English was 61.2%. The majority of teachers who teach the two languages

are not Tamil speaking. This affects the effective teaching and learning

process and communication between the students and the teachers.

Suggestion

The teachers who teach Malay and English in Tamil school must be

Tamil speaking teachers. It will facilitate the teachers to teach the

students effectively through bi-lingual method using the students'

mother tongue.

Appeared in YSS websife ort 26th August 2004

QUALITY EDUCATION


Quality Of Tamil School: An Analysis From 1993-2007

Since 1993, Tamil schools have been witnessing remarkable changes in

providing quality education. They have recorded higher passes in the

UPSR examination over the past 10 years. Once Tamil schools were not

anywhere near the other types of schools, but now they are moving

towards achieving better results and are on par with other schools.

In 1993, only 18.0% of Tamil school students passed the Malay language

writing paper and comprehension paper. More passes in both Malay

papers were recorded in 2007 where 59.4% of Year Six students passed

in the Malay language (Writing) and 63.1% in the Malay language

(Comprehension). It can be concluded that there is a 41.4% increase

in passes in the Malay language (Writing) and 45.1% increase in the

Malay language (comprel~ension) from 1993 to 2007 among Tamil school

students. UPSR Results of 2007

B Tamil Comprehension

Malay Writing

Malay Comprehension

Mathematics

Science

Quality Education

Tamil school students have also recorded higher passes in other subjects

when we compare the results from 1993 to 2007. In 1993, only 40.0% of

the UPSR candidates had passed in English. This figure rose to 62.1 % in

2007. It shows a 22.1% increase in passes in English from 1993 to 2007.

There has been an increase in the number of passes in Mathematics over

the past 13 years. Tamil school students have been performing well in

Mathematics since 1993. In 2007, 87.5% of the Tamil school candidates

passed in Mathematics compared to the 44.0% pass in 1993. This drastic

change indicates that Tamil school students have more interest and skills

in Mathematics compared to other subjects.

Tamil school students have also shown greater interest in Science.

Unlike other subjects, Science was introduced as an examination paper

only in 1997. Since then Tamil school students have been doing well in

Science. In 2007,83.8% of the candidates passed in Science compared to

the 69.2% passes in 1997.

As Tamil has been the medium of instruction in Tamil schools, the

students have been performing well in their mother tongue as well. Every

year more than 70.0% of the students passed in the two Tamil language

papers. In 2007, 80.8% and 86.4% passes had been recorded in Tamil

language (Writing) and Tamil language (Comprehension) respectively

compared to the 62.0% passes in both papers in 1993.

Another indicator that proves the improvement in the quality in Tamil

school is the number of 7As achievers. Over the past 5 years, the number

of 7As achievers among Tamil school students has been on the rise.

In 1999 only 45 (0.3%) of the 12,000 students scored 7As in the UPSR

examination. This figure has risen to 583 (3.9%) students in 2007.

Develo~rnent of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

There are many factors that have contributed to the improvenlent of

quality in Tamil schools. First of all, the Tamil school parents who

were mostly from the low-income group were given awareness on

the importance of education. In this regards, MIC and Indian based

organizations have played a very important role. They went around the

estates to educate the parents. There has been a revolution in education

with the motto " Education - the only tool for Indians to progress in

their lives".

The commitment among Tamil school teachers and the headmasters

is also one of the factors for the improvement of Tamil schools, said

Mr Paskaran, the Tamil School Supervisor in Malaysia. He added that,

many teachers and headmasters are very keen in uplifting the standard

of Tamil schools. It had been a challenge for them to prove that Tamil

school students too can perform well. In brief, there has been a change

in the mind set of Tamil school teachers and headmasters and this has

resulted in the improvement of Tamil schools, added Mr Paskaran.

The government has been providing more attention to Tamil schools

over the past 13 years. Many Tamil school teachers were given teachers'

training and the fiscal conditions of Tamil schools had been upgraded

as lobbied by the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).

Furthermore, many Tamil schools with good facilities have started to

attract more middle class parents to send their children to Tamil schools.

Increasingly they have confidence in Tamil schools. This is another

factor that has contributed to better achievement among Tamil school

students.

Besides that, MIC, as the guardian of Tamil schools has been taking

many initiatives to improve the quality of Tamil schools. Besides

/-

Quality Education

concentrating on the fiscal aspects of Tamil school, MIC has also boosted

the students and the teachers to do well in their areas. For an example,

Tamil school headmasters symposium was held several times from

1993-2004 to give space to the headmasters to voice out their concerns

so that they can improve their skills in executing their responsibilities

ably. The symposium also paved the way for the headmasters and

Tamil educationists to draft an action plan for the upliftment of Tamil

schools.

Other than that, MIC has been awarding 7As achievers in Tamil school

since 2002. Each achiever is given RM 500 together with a trophy. The

best school in the UPSR examination is also rewarded. This move has

been a stimulus for the students and the schools to perform well in the

examination.

MIC has also been preparing and distributing UPSR revision books

for the Tamil school students since 2003. These books are given free to

students to prepare them for the examination. As a result, in 2003,356

students scored 7As compared to the 202 students in 2002. YB Dato

Seri S. Samy Vellu, the President of MIC said that, such move would be

continued in order to record more passes among Tamil school students.

He added that, MIC together with other organizations would chart out

more action plans for the betterment of Tamil schools.

In order to achieve better results among Tamil school students, the

following need to be done;

The current trend of teachers and Parent-teacher Associations

taking interest in the welfare of the Tamil School children need

to continue and accelerate,


More people from the corporate sector need to adopt Tamil

Schools and give the necessary energy and support to the

improvement of the Tamil Schools in general and specifically

towards the holistic development of the students,

More NGOs need to adopt Tamil schools and conduct mind

changing and academic excellence classes,

Since there is this inception of English Language to teach

Mathematics and Science subjects, if more middle class Indian

children study in Tamil schools, as they are highly motivated,

they will be able to score well and they will also spur others

towards excellence through healthy competition.

There needs to be greater creativity in teaching and opportunity

for the children to experience new and innovative ideas in teaching and learning experience

If the quality of Tamil schools in this country, as described above, is upgraded further, we are sure that, in the near future, Tamil schools will

be the choice of a majority of Indian families. More concerted and earnest

efforts from all walks of life are needed to transform Tamil school into

highly respected centres of education.

Appeared in Y S S website on 30th July 2004

Updated: 30 lanun y 2007

Quality Education

5

Trained Teachers In Primary Schools

The teaching profession is one of the noblest professions in the world.

Teachers have played a vital role in the psycho-social development of

human beings. Their service and sacrifice for the progress of mankind

is highly appreciated and constantly applauded.

Recent studies in Tennessee, Boston and Texas confirm that students

taught by the most qualified and effective teachers become educational

high achievers. Research also continues to demonstrate the tremendous

influence that teacher quality has on student performance.

In order to become a qualified teacher, one needs to undergo teachers'

training to acquire pedagogical skills. Besides acquiring these skills, those

keen to become a teacher also need to have the interest and commitment

towards the profession.

In the Malaysian context, there are two types of teachers in schools.

They are trained and untrained teachers. More than 80% of teachers are

trained teachers who seem to have equipped themselves with effective

pedagogical skills and right attitudes towards their profession. These

trained teachers in classrooms across the country are important in order

to achieve the successful implementation of the education policy in

Malaysia.


The Malaysian Educational Statistics, 2003 showed that there were

174,701 teachers in primary schools. The statistics also showed that

there were 159,015 (91.02%) trained teachers in primary schools. This

means that there were only 8.98% untrained teachers in primary schools

in 2003.

It is interesting to note that out of 174,701 teachers, 116,563 (66.72%)

teachers were female teachers. It seems that women have more interest

and motivation to become teachers. From another aspect, we can also

say that women are more patient and soft in dealing with students.

There were 6, 609 teachers in 523 Tamil schools of which 5,377 (81.4%)

teachers were trained teachers. 75.9% of the teachers in Tamil schools

were female teachers. Tamil schools did not have any university graduate

teachers in 2003. It is noted that in 2007, there were 7,126 teachers in

Tamil schools.

Chinese schools had 31,227 teachers in 2003 of which 25,130 (80.5%)

teachers were trained teachers. Like Tamil schools, the Chinese schools

also had 83.7% female teachers in 2003.

National schools which have the highest number of students had more

trained teachers compared to vernacular schools. It was found that

there were 127,985 (93.9%) trained teachers out of 136,333 teachers in

the national schools. Unlike vernacular schools, national schools had

62.4% female teachers.

In the context of Tamil schools, the latest figures vary from the figures

given in the Malaysian Educational Statistics 2003. Recently (in August

2004) YSS conducted a survey on various aspects of Tamil schools. In the

survey it was found that there were more university graduate teachers in

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Tamil schools whereas there were none in 2003. Out of 523 Tamil schools

in the country, 415 schools took part in the survey.

The survey showed that 189 Tamil schools out of these 415 Tamil schools

having at least one university graduate teacher depending on the number

of students in the schools. In total there were 334 university graduate

teachers in the 415 Tan~il schools in 2004. It is due to the Malaysian

Education Ministry's move to ensure 50% of primary schools teachers

are trained graduates by 2010. It also shows the Education Ministry's

concern about vernacular schools. By having many university graduate

teachers, the Malaysian primary education system will witness great

improvements in the quality of teaching and learning process.

Also, the total number of untrained teachers in primary schools for 2004

has been reduced from 15,678 in 2003 to 12,484 teachers. This figure was

released by Dato Hishammuddin Tun Hussein in Parliament on 8 July

2004. According to his figure, there are 748(11.3%) untrained teachers in

Tamil schools whilst 3,804 (12.2%) in Chinese schools and 7,932 (5.8%) in

national schools. These figures demonstrate the seriousness of Malaysian

Education Ministry in raising student achievement levels by creating

competent teachers in the primary schools.

If this trend continues our education system will create competent and

highly creative students due to the enhancement of teachers' skills. The

Malaysian Education Ministry definitely will play a very important role

in achieving the above mentioned goal.

Appeared iii YSS website on 27th Sepfernbeu 2004

Development of Tamil School Education in Malaysia -- -

Comparison Between Tamil School And

National School Students

Introduction

YSS undertook a study on Indian students schooling at the two types

of primary scl~ools in order to compare their results. This study was

undertaken in 2002. A total of 140 students were taken as a sampling in

which 70 students were from SK schools and another 70 were from Tamil

schools. Various factors such as the type of houses they live in and the

jobs of parents were taken into account to determine their achievement

in the UPSR examination.

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Socio Economic Factors

All the 140 respondents were from Kuala Lumpur and from the different

socio economic backgrounds. The following table is self explanatory as

to the type of house they live in.

Table 1: Type of \louse

1 Flats

Terrace house

Total

The occupations of the respondents' parents were studied to assess their

achievement in the UPSR examination. It was found that a majority of

the respondents' parents are working as labourers. Out of 86 parents, 29

parents of Tamil school students and 27 parents of SK school students are

working as labourers. 11 of them are working as drivers while another

19 parents are in office based jobs.

UPSR RESULTS

UPSR results of these 140 Indian students both from Tamil schools and

SK schools were compared. The results showed that the number of

Indian students from SK schools had more passes in Malay and English

language compared to Indian students from the Tamil schools.

but more Tamil school students did better than their counterparts from

SK schools in subjects such as Science and Mathematics. Table 2 shows

this trend very clearly.


Table 2: Coinparison of UPSR Results Between SJK (T) and SK Schools

Subjects Type of school

Malay Language

(Comprehension)

Children have the potential to excel. If a concerted effort is taken to

coach them creatively, they will be able to achieve better results in all

subjects.

Malay Language

(Writing)

English

Science

Mathematic

Appenrt'd in YSS website oil 23rd September 2002

SJK (*)

38 (54.3%)

SK

51 (72.9%)

26 (37.1%) 38 (54.3%)

48 (68.6%)

50 (71.4%)

48 (68.6%)

50 (71.4%)

34 (48.6%)

38 (54.3%)

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Tamil School Students Fare Better In Mathematics And Science

Indian students attend three types of schools in Malaysia, namely

National school, Tamil school and Chinese schools. Earlier figures show

that a majority of them attended Tamil schools. It is found that 52% go

to Tamil schools, 45% go to National schools and 3% of Indian students

attend Chinese Primary schools.

Indian Students in Primary Schools (2004)

0.0% Tamil School National School Chinese School

Recently a micro study was undertaken to find out the level of

performance among Indian students in Tamil schools and National

schools. In this study, the UPSR results of Indian students who took the

examination in 2004 from a National school and a Tamil school were


analyzed to compare their performance. Both schools are located in

Petaling Jaya. The names of these schools are withheld.

Before analyzing their results, the backgrounds of the students were

taken into account. In this matter, it was found that 80% of the Indian

students both in Tamil school and National school that were analyzed in

this study were from low-income families. They lived in low cost flats.

Furthermore their parents can be classified as unskilled and semi-skilled

workers with low-education.

In line with the similar background of the students, their performance

was analyzed easily based on their UPSR results. The results revealed that

the Indian students from the Tamil school fared well in Mathematics and

Science compared to the Indian students from the National school. The

Tamil school students recorded 82.7% and 75.1 % passes in Mathematics and Science respectively while the Indian students in the National school

recorded 63.3% and 49.4% passes in those subjects.

The Indian students in the National school performed better than

the Tamil school students in other subjects, namely Bahasa Melayu

(Comprehension), Bahasa Melayu (Writing) and English. They recorded

81.8%, 63.3% and 74.0% passes in those subjects respectively. The Tamil

school students obtained 55.8% and 57.9% passes in Bahasa Melayu

(comprehension) and Bahasa Melayu (Writing) respectively whilst

recording 59.4% passes in English. These results were consistent with

the findings of a similar study carried out by YSS a few years back.

In general 45.0% passes were recorded among the Indian students in the

National school while 47.2% passes were recorded in the Tamil school.

It showed that, the Tamil school students performed slightly better than

the Indian students in the National school.

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Although the Tamil school students did better in Mathematics and

Science as compared to the Indian students in the National schools, they

should give more emphasis towards Bahasa Melayu and English. It is

because, the Tamil school students would face greater difficulty in their

studies in the secondary school as all the subjects will be taught in Bahasa

Melayu and English. If the students do not cope up with Bahasa Melayu

and English, they would fare poorly in their studies and eventually might

drop out of the school system.

The Indian students in the National schools, besides achieving good

results in the language subjects, also need to put extra efforts to achieve

excellent results in Mathematics and Science so that they would fit in

the technological world. The students who have language power along

with a vast knowledge in Mathematics and Science will succeed in life.

It will help them to secure better jobs in the market.

The study proved that it is easy for Tamil school students to learn

Mathematics and Science in their mother tongue compared to those

studying the subjects through the second language. On the other hand

Indian students can fare better in Bahasa Melayu and English in National

school. However, both types of schools should take earnest efforts to

improve the performance of the low-income students in all subjects.

If students from low-income households are guided properly they will

perform well no matter which school they go to. Besides parental support,

more motivation and encouragement for the students are needed from

the school community in order to accelerate their performance level.

Appeared in Y S S website on 10th Jail l lay 2005


Poverty Is No Barrier To Excel

Introduction

Tamil school students have been performing well in the UPSR

examination over the past 5 years. Last year tremendous improvement

in performance has been recorded among Tamil school students in UPSR

in all subjects and particularly in Science and Mathematics.

An important point to note is that in spite of the fact that a majority of

Tamil school going children come from low income earning households,

many of them have become high achievers. They excel although their

parents are not well educated and fall under low-income group.

The results also show that some of these parents attach top most priority

to their children's education. This is where low education and low income

do not hamper the parents in moulding their children to be top achievers.

The will power and the determination to excel do not diminish. In short,

Tamil school going children irrespective of their socio economic status

can excel in education if they are provided proper guidance and support

by their parents, teachers and community.

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The YSS Study

A study done by Yayasan Strategik Sosial gathering the details of all top

achievers or 7As scorers in Tamil school in 2005 through a questionnaire

revealed this fact. 436 out of the 520 top achievers responded to this study.

Various aspects such as parents' occupation, parents' education, family

income, type of houses and students' ambition were given emphasis in

this study.

Parents' Occupation

Most of the parents of these children were found to be unskilled

workers. 55.8% of the fathers work as lorry drivers and operators in the

factories. 24.3% of the fathers work in the semi skilled fields such clerks,

supervisors, technicians and nurses. Out of 317 fathers, only 19.9% of

them were skilled workers or professionals. A majority of them worked

as teachers and others as doctors, engineers and executives.

Unlike fathers, the study clearly showed that a large number of mothers

that is 64.2% of the 317 mothers responded were housewives. 11.9%

work as unskilled workers such as maids, rubber tapers and operators.

21.8% are engaged in the skilled or professional sectors mostly in the

teaching profession.

Parents' Education

Education plays an important role in uplifting the socio economic

status of any individual. The study revealed that, 51% of the parents

had received education up to SRP or PMR level. Of these, 17.1 % fathers

and 21% mothers have studied only up to primary level. 27.6% fathers

and 34.4% mothers have studied up to SPM while 12% fathers and 7.6%


mothers up to STPM or Diploma. 7.2% of the parents have completed

tertiary level education.

Family Income

Family income has a strong correlation with the level of education and

occupation. In this regard, it was found that, a majority of the families

fall under low-income group. 54.4% of the families earn below RM 1200

a month of which 4.7% earn below poverty line. They mostly work as

rubber tapers, operators and sweepers.

In contrast to that, 23.8% of the families responded in this study earn

between RM 1201- RM 2500. Most of them are engaged in the semi skilled

fields. 21.8% parents with Diploma and tertiary educational qualifications

earn more than RM 2500 a month. They are mainly teachers, engineers

and doctors.

Types of houses

Information on type of houses of the students were divided into 5

types namely, squatters, estate, low cost, medium cost and bungalow

houses. 53.4% of the students both from urban and sub urban areas

stay in medium cost houses compared to the 10.1% students who stay

in squatter or estate houses. It was also discovered that 33.5% of the 436

students stay in low cost houses such as flats and long houses and only

3% stay in bungalows.

Students' Ambition

The results that one achieves play a key role in determining his/her

future. Almost all school going children have a dream as to what they

Quality Education

want to be after completing their studies. In this connection, when these

students were asked about their ambition, 46.5% of them wanted to be

doctors, 13.5% wanted to be engineers and 12.3% teachers. This is a

clear indication that Indians still place high priority to a profession in

medicine.

Only 6.8% chose to be lawyers and 7.3% wanted to become scientists.

13.6% of the total respondents indicated their intention to involve in other

professions such as accountants, pilots, lecturers, astronauts, reporters

and businessmen/women.

Students' Ambition

Conclusion

The study strongly proves that Tamil school students irrespective of

their socio economic status can perform well in their studies. But the

number of top achievers from the low-income families needs to increase

further since majority of Tamil school going children come from low-

income families.

Appeared in YSS website on 27th Januay 2006


Decisioi~s Made in Tamil School Action Council Meetings

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu set up a Tamil school action council in 2000 to

facilitate, monitor and implement programs for the development of Tamil

schools. The council comprises 35 members namely state coordinators

of Tamil schools, state headmasters, headmistresses, council chairmen,

National Headmasters Council chairman, National Tamil school teachers'

association chairman, representatives from Indian Studies Department

of University Malaya, assistant director of Tamil Language Section of

each state, and NUTP.

The council members meet at least twice a year to discuss issues and

concerns of Tamil schools. From 2000 till 2005, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu

chaired several meetings where various issues, challenges and action

plans were raised and discussed in the meeting. Below are stated matters

discussed in the meetings.

UPSR Revision Books

UPSR revision books were prepared and given free to 14,000 UPSR

candidates in Tamil schools all over the country in 2003. As a result

more passes had been recorded among them in UPSR. These books were

Qualitv Education

reprinted with some corrections to distribute to 15,000 UPSR candidates

in 2004. These books are being distributed to all schools by MIED. The

council hopes that these revision books will help the candidates achieve

the best results in the examination.

Preparation of new revision book for 2005

The council decided to come out with new set of revision books for UPSR

candidates in 2005. It is because, there will be changes to the syllabus for

each subjects in 2005. In order to keep abreast with the change of syllabus

and the time, new revision books need to be prepared. In this regard, a

special working committee has been set up to prepare the book before

the end of this year.

Certificate of Appreciation

100 expert teachers from Tamil schools all over the country had gathered

together in 2003 to prepare the UPSR revision books. It was decided that

they will be given certificates of appreciation for their contribution and

commitment in preparing the books without any expectation.

Aussie Holiday For Tamil School Teachers

It is believed that giving rewards is one of the contributing factors for

students to achieve excellent results and for teachers to teach their

students vigorously. In this matter Dato Seri Samy Vellu announced that

the headmaster and the UPSR teachers from the best-performed Tamil

school in UPSR 2004 would be sent to Australia for a holiday. Those

students who score 7As will be given RM 500 each together with a trophy.

This is one of the ways to increase the standard of Tamil schools.


Guidance book for post UPSR students

The council members said that, there are not much discipline problems

among Tamil school students. Early findings showed that the Tamil

school students are facing various problems when they are in secondary

school. It was decided that a guidance book about the challenges in

secondary schools be prepared and given to the post UPSR students

in order to prepare them for secondary school education. This book

will comprise details on curriculum and co curriculum activities, social

integration values and customs of other races.

Rebuilding Tamil school

It was found that the fiscal facilities in 129 out of 523 Tamil schools

in this country need to be upgraded so that there will be a conducive

teaching and learning environment for the students. At the moment

YSS has prepared a special report on 93 out of 129 schools of which 61

need to be rebuilt.

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu has requested YSS, Tamil school coordinators

and Tamil school Headmasters councils to work together to rectify

the condition of the 93 schools. Once the final report is done, it will be

submitted to Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Education Minister

to request for allocation to rebuild the schools.

Building additional classrooms

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu suggested that allocation could be requested from

Members of Parliament or Members of State Legislative Councils (DUN)

in the constituencies where the Tamil schools are located in order to build

additional classrooms. The Tamil school coordinators and headmasters

can approach the elected representatives to request for allocation.

Quality Education

Symposium for Tamil school headmasters

It was decided that, a symposium for Tamil school headmasters need to

be organised so that they will have a chance to express their suggestions

pertinent to the development of Tamil schools. At the same time,

exchange of ideas among the headmasters during the symposium will

help them administer their schools effectively. Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu

tentatively fixed dates on 6,7,8 August 2004 to organise the symposium.

It is expected that Dato Hishammuddin, Education Minister would be

invited to officiate the symposium.

Memorandum on issues faced by Tamil schools

Tamil school coordinators, Headmasters Councils and Teachers Union

had highlighted various issues faced by Tamil schools at the meetings.

In this matter, YSS was requested to prepare a memorandum comprising

of the highlighted issues faced by Tamil schools. Dato Seri Samy Vellu

will submit the memorandum to Education Minister once it is ready.

Tamil Terminology Book

MIC Education Committee prepared a Tamil Terminology book. It was decided that 7,000 copies of the book be printed and distributed to all

Tamil school teachers in the country. This book will be printed and

distributed within two months.

Seminar For Parents Teachers Associations

It was decided that seminars be conducted for Parents Teachers

Associations that would cover the 523 Tamils schools in four zones

namely Sg Petani, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and Malacca. It is hoped that

a good relationship and better understanding among the parents and


teachers would strengthen the school unit and bring more benefits for

the students.

The Teaching of Mathematics and Science in English

The committee was satisfied with the implementation status of teaching

Mathematics and Science in English. All the Tamil schools have obtained

laptops, LCDs and other related materials for teaching the two subjects

in English. The committee members hope that Tamil school children will

use the latest technology in learning the two subjects in English.

UPSR Presidential Award

Feed back on UPSR Presidential Award 2002 was also gathered in the

Tamil School Action Council meeting held in 2003. The members were

satisfied with the preparation and implementation of the ceremony. In

this regard, YB Date Seri said that, the award ceremony will be held

every year as one of the many ways to motivate and encourage high

achievers and other students as well.

Professional Development Training

Dato Seri along with the members of the council made two major

decisions to improve the level of performance among Tamil school

students particularly in UPSR 2005. It was decided that a Professional

Development Training be held for the 1,600 language teachers in Tamil

schools all over the country in April. Three teachers will represent each

Tamil school for Malay, English and Tamil. This Training will be held

in six centers nationwide.

Non-Tamil speaking teachers

It was informed that, non-Tamil speaking teachers were being placed in

Tamil schools to teach Mathematics and Science in English. This action

Quality Education

Dato Seri S . Sumy Vellu is chairing a Tatnil School Action Couizcil meeting

could deny qualified Tamil-speaking teachers the opportunity to become

a teacher. Moreover it could be difficult for the Tamil speaking students

to receive proper education from the non-Tamil speaking teachers.

Shortage of trained teachers

A shortage of trained teachers in Tamil schools was discussed in various

meetings. The members suggested that more places need to be offered

for Indian teachers intending to undergo the Teacher Training Course

For Graduate Teachers (KPLI). Records showed that 1875 Indians had

applied for KPLI in January 2005 but only 306 places were offered for

Indian applicants.

School Holidays Courses were not offered to untrained or temporary

teachers in Tamil schools last year thus causing a shortage of 900 trained

teachers in Tamil schools this year. The council members felt that the

standard of teaching and learning in Tamil schools would deteriorate

if there were insufficient trained teachers. Therefore, the Education

Ministry was strongly urged to offer this course to the untrained Tamil

school teachers.

Development of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

Under-Enrolled Schools

An important point raised in the meeting was the proposal to relocate

the Tamil schools which have less than 10 pupils. With regards to that,

Dato Seri said that a special committee would be set up soon to prepare

a special report about these schools and the possibility of rebuilding the

schools in or around residential areas with a dense Indian population.

Kindergartens

When discussing about kindergartens, it was found that only 10 Tamil

schools were allowed to start kindergartens this year. Earlier records

show that there were only 50 Tamil schools out of the 523 Tamil schools

running pre school classes. The Education Ministry should allocate more

funds to run more kindergartens in Tamil schools to accommodate the increasing number of pupils every year.

Voucher Scheme for poor pupils

The recent Voucher Scheme for poor pupils was also one of the topics of

discussion at the meeting. Earlier the government decided to provide RM

10 to each poor pupil in Years Four, Five and Six as payment towards

tuition classes. RM 200 Million had been allocated for this purpose.

But after discussing this matter, the council members firmly urged the

government to include vernacular schools into this scheme as a majority

of Tamil school going children are from poor families and their results

in the Malay language and English show that they need more help than

those students in National and Chinese schools.

Appeared in YSS website on 27th December 2004

Updated : December 2007

Happy Families And Effective Leadership

The Parents Teachers Association (PTA) has been an important body in

every school. The schools can be better organised with the help of PTAs

as they can play a significant role in strengthening the family unit and

also the school unit. According to the constitution, PTA can share and

exchange ideas and information about education to improve the students'

academic and non academic performance in general.

In line with PTA's objectives, Yayasan Strategik Sosial in collaboration

with Perak Tamil Schools Headmasters'/Headmistress' Council had

organised a workshop for PTA chairmen of Tamil schools in Perak.

This workshop was held from 9 to 10 August 2003 at Heritage Hotel

in Ipoh, Perak. YB Dato S. Veerasingam, Parliamentary Secretary to

National Unity and Community Development Ministry officiated this

workshop.

There were 137 Tamil schools in Perak then. Out of these, 65 PTA chairmen

attended the workshop. Although the number of attendees was small, it

had been a constructive workshop. The PTA chairmen contributed their

ideas and opinions related to their roles and responsibilities towards the

development of family unit and school unit.


On the first day of the workshop, Mr K.A Gunah, Family Development

Officer from Yayasan Strategik Sosial gave a talk on strengthening the

family unit. In his talk, he said that parents should always give priority

in creating a happy family in order to have a conducive environment

for their children to study. He added that children from broken families

experienced more problems in education and that often led them to be

involved in undesirable activities. Mr Gunah shared some experiences

in family conflict with the participants. He also briefed them on the

methods of solving the problems related to family conflict.

After the participants had discussed in groups, they expressed their

views on dealing with pupils with problems in Tamil schools. In

general they said that PTAs always should visit and consult teachers

and headmasters so that they would be able to identify pupils with

problems. It was suggested that PTAs can make an arrangement on a

regular basis to give counselling to the pupils with problems and to their

parents as well. The participants also suggested that family programs

be conducted in order to reduce family conflicts. Positive family values

must be instilled among parents through these programs.

The attendees also discussed ways and means to create Tamil schools

as excellent schools. Two sub topics were discussed under this topic.

Firstly, Improving the performance in the UPSR examination. One of the

steps suggested by the participants was implementing pupils enrichment

program from Year One.

The PTAs can be the sponsors of this program whereas the school can

concentrate on the content and implementation of the program. This

program was meant for the weaker pupils from Year One. They must be

adopted and guided for a period of 6 years. By doing so, the overall results

of Tamil school pupils in the UPSR would increase tremendously.

Quality Education

Another sub topic was, how PTAs can play a role in increasing the number of pupils in Tamil schools. It was found that, there were 90,000 pupils in 526 Tamil schools in 2003. Overall, 52% of Indian children enrolled in Tamil vernacular schools. Another 48% Indian pupils attended National schools and Chinese schools. In t h s regard the participants had asked the teachers in Tamil schools to enrol their children in Tamil schools. The Education Ministry's record showed that there were approximately 6,000 teachers in Tamil school then. Most of them did not enrol their children in Tamil schools.

The participants also expressed that, PTA must embark on a national campaign asking Indian parents to enrol their children in Tamil school. Previous UPSR results in Tamil schools showed that there was a marked improvement in the UPSR. The results proved that Tamil school pupils also could do well not only academically but also in non academic aspects. That was an encouraging factor for Indian parents to enrol their children in Tamil school. Now the PTA should educate the parents on the latest status of Tamil schools and the importance of Tamil education.

Mr Paul Raj, former Tamil school headmaster had shared his views on instilling leadership qualities among the PTA chairmen. He said that the PTA chairmen must always be aware of national issues pertaining to education. The PTA chairmen must have the ability to plan and make constructive decisions. He added that, a leader should be a motivator and a cooperative person.

In general this workshop was a successful program for the development of Tamil schools in this country. The PTA involvement and commitment to provide a forum and service for the welfare and progress of the pupils should be increased for the benefit of Tamil schools. In this regard YSS will have more follow up programs with the participants of the camp in order to make them more active in their roles and responsibilities.

Appeared in YSS website on 1st August 2003


Tamil School Headmasters' Symposium 2004

A National Symposium For Tamil School Headmasters was held on

13,14 & 15 August 2004 at Islamic Academy, University Malaya. It

was jointly organised by Tamil School National Action Council and

Indian Studies department of University Malaya. Maju Institute of

Educational Development (MIED), an educational arm of MIC, funded this symposium.

The symposium was held to enhance the leadership skills among Tamil

school headmasters so that they administered the schools effectively.

Besides, the Tamil School Headmasters' symposium was to provide

headmasters with opportunities to discuss and exchange ideas on issues

faced by Tamil schools. The symposium was also expected to pave way

for the headmasters and Tamil educationists to draft an action plan for

the upliftment of Tamil schools.

400 participants attended the symposium. They were mostly Tamil

school headmasters, Tamil school organizers and officers from

Malaysian Education Ministry. YB Dato Hishamuddin Tun Hussein,

Education Minister officiated the symposium. In his speech, he said that

headmasters play an important role not only in managing the school

but also in creating in our children high moral values. He added that a

majority of the headmasters in this country are committed towards the

Quality Education

excellence of our children. "We cannot see our children getting involved

in undesirable activities which will tarnish their future and our nation.

The headmasters are in a situation to overcome the discipline problems

faced by our students".

Dato Hishamuddin also said that his ministry always ensured that the

provision of facilities and assistance reached all schools irrespective of

the type. The new Tuition Scheme Voucher was being provided to all

needy students in order to upgrade their educational standard. It is

important for the headmasters to ensure the school and the students

enjoy the facilities and assistance provided in an effective way, elaborated

Dato Hishammuddin.

YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, in his special remark during the opening

ceremony of the symposium applauded the government for its

continuous support for the development of Tamil schools. "The

government is concerned about the needs in Tamil school from time to

time. For example, many trained teachers are sent to Tamil schools, the

latest teaching and learning equipments are provided and new buildings and additional buildings are constructed in Tamil schools on request".

" Tamil school students have been performing well in the UPSR

examination. In 2002 only 202 students had scored 7As whereas in

2003, 356 students scored 7As. It shows that Tamil school teachers are

committed and motivated to gear their students towards excellence",

said Samy Vellu.

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu in his speech also requested the government to

seriously look into the 376 partially aided Tamil schools. 'These schools do

not have proper school buildings and teaching and learning facilities. The

government was also requested to pay attention to 106 Tamil schools.

Develooment of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

69 schools out of 106 schools need to be rebuilt, 27 schools need additional

buildings and 10 schools need to be relocated to areas with dense Indian

population.

Many experienced and well-known speakers and panellists presented

their points of view on the development of Tamil school. Prof Dato Dr

Ibrahim Ahmad Bajunid from University Tun Abdul Razak delivered

a keynote address entitled "Discovering and implementing dynamic

and effective educational leadership principle". He quoted five main

principles for an educational leader; a leader is a constructor not a

destroyer, a leader is a problem solver not a problem creator, a leader

is always appreciative not condemning, a leader is a provider not a

requester and a leader is open minded.

In brief, Prof Ahmad Bajunid said that Tamil school headmasters need

to see the changes in education to their students and themselves in a

short period, in one year, in a decade and life long. He also emphasized

that Tamil school headmasters should see the success of Chinese schools

and National schools as benchmark in order to progress. Every student

has potential and is talented, so the headmasters should take initiatives

to develop the student and should think that the student will become a

useful adult in future.

Prof Madya Dr N.S Rajendran from University Pendidikan Sultan Idris,

Tanjung Malim (UPSI), presented a paper on "New trends and approaches

in teaching and learning". In his paper he concluded, "Teachers play the

role of instructional leaders in their respective classrooms. They manage

time, resources, time and their students to facilitate teaching and learning.

Teachers plan, implement and evaluate their teaching and learning on

an ongoing basis. They constantly make important decisions about the

teaching and learning processes. They need to be creative, flexible, open-

minded and continuously learn new trends and approaches in teaching

Quality Education

and learning to ensure that their teaching and learning is effective and

brings the intended changes".

Prof Madya Dr Nagendralingan also from University Pendidikan Sultan

Idris, Tanjung Malim presented paper on "Instructional leadership

in Tamil schools". He presented based on four salient themes on

instructional leadership. They were, the strengthening of teacher skills,

the systematization of the curriculum, the improvement of organizational

structures and the involvement of parents and other citizens in a school-

commu~~ity partnership.

He said that the key individual for providing instructional leadership

in a school is the principal or headmaster. He/she is the one individual

above all others who is of critical importance in creating an effective

school through nurturing a supportive school culture and climate.

Effective classroom processes and practices, while simultaneously

integrating teacher professional development with effective curriculum

management and development, is highly critical.

A newly retired headmaster, Mr Ng Eng Hooi from SJK (C) Chung

Kwok, Kuala Lumpur shared his experiences and ideas on the success

of Chinese primary schools. He said that, there is a strong relationship

between the teachers and students that contributes to the advancement

of Chinese Primary Schools. He added that the Chinese schoolteachers

always could influence their students to study hard. They are very much

committed to their students and schools.

ACP Theiveegan, Head of Police Headquarters, Sentul District, was

invited as one of the panellists in the symposium. He was a former

student from Tamil school whose children are also in Tamil school. He

urged the teachers and headmasters to work together with the parents


in realising the Tamil school as a center of educational excellence. The

teachers and parents play very important roles in moulding the character

of the students. Tamil language teaches us all the values to be excellent

not only in education but also in practical lives added Mr Theiveegan.

Dr Iynkaran, a specialist doctor, who has been the chairman of CHILD,

highlighted the importance of Tamil education for a child. He said

that Tamil language technically broadens one's mind in Mathematics

and Science. He believes that Tamil education can provide a holistic

development for those adopting Tamil as their mother tongue.

A part of Headmastcrs / mistresses w h o attended in the Symposium

Overall, it is believed that the National Symposium For Tamil School

Headmasters had created a new dimension for the advancement of Tamil

schools. The headmasters as leaders in the school institution need to be

futuristic and realistic in shaping the characters of Tamil school teachers

and students. If the headmaster fails the school will also fail.

Appeared in Y S S website on 26th Atrgust 2004

Quality Education

Tamil School Headmasters' Symposium 2007

The Tamil Schools Head Masters' Symposium was held from November

18 to 20,2007 at the Palace of the Golden Horses, Kuala Lumpur. It was

organised by the Tamil Schools' Action Council and funded by the Maju

Institute of Educational Development (MIED) and Ministry of Education.

The MIC' Education Bureau and the YayasanStrategik Sosial (YSS) were

partners in this programme. This was the 7th national symposium.

Theme

The theme of the 2007 symposium was "Tamil Schools: Towards A

New Era". This theme was introduced to discern an effective way

forward where all Tamil schools would become centres of excellence

and also to see a new generation of Tamil school students who can excel

academically, possesing soft skills and are able to compete nationally

and globally.

Participations

Of the 523 Tamil school headmasters, 450 headmasters attended the

symposium. Besides that, officers from Education Ministry, state

education department and government agencies that are working for

Tamil Schools also participated in the symposium.

Development of Tamil School Education in Malaysia --

Welcome Dinner

YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu provided a welcome dinner to all participating

headmasters, education officers, several MIC CWC members and

some invited guests on 18 November 2007. Along with delicious food,

the participants were also entertained with a light music during the

dinner.

Opening Ceremony

YB S. Samy Vellu declared open the symposium on 19 November. During

the symposium, he delivered a well prepared keynote address to the

participants. In his keynote address he said that headmasters must be

visionary leaders who take into account the urgent and essential task of

human capital formation within the children. Dato Seri also ensured that

MIC would continue to play a very active role to see that, Tamil school

education stood on par with other primary school education.

Closing Ceremony

YB Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Malaysian Education

Minister, YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, MIC leaders and invited guests

were present at the closing ceremony of the symposium on 20 November

2007. Dato Seri Hishammuddin officiated the closing ceremony. In his

speech, he said that the government has allocated huge amounts of funds

to uplift the standard of Tamil schools. Many development projects have

been approved and are being carried out in the Ninth Malaysia Plan and

likewise the problems faced by the under enrolled schools would be

addressed. He also said that Tamil schools have progressed, as clearly

evident in the overall improved results in the UPSR examination.

Quality Education

Panel and Workshop Sessions

The symposium was held based on 4 sub themes, which were the focus

of the plenary sessions. Experienced speakers were invited to present

papers on 4 sub-themes namely Leadership & Management of Tamil

Schools, Improving the Quality of Tamil School Education, Physical and

Educational Infrastructure Development of Tamil Schools, Developing

Social Resources/ Human Capital Development. The participants were

given ample time to interact and discuss related issues with the panel

speakers.

12 concurrent workshop sessions were held in line with the 4 sub-

themes. Each session was participated by 30-40 headmasters. Facilitators

and rapporteurs facilitated each workshop session. All the headmasters

in the workshops sessions raised and discussed matters pertaining to

issues, root causes, solutions and success stories in Tamil schools. The

findings of the workshop groups were presented by rapporteurs in the

final day plenary session.

Follow up

Yayasan Strategik Sosial is preparing a comprehensive report on matters

raised and discussed in the symposium with a clear focus on the findings

of the workshop sessions. The report will be submitted to MIC President

for review and further action.

YSS has also gathered the current status of the physical structure of

Tamil schools based on photographs. A comprehensive report on Tamil

schools is being prepared and would be submitted to the MIC President.

The report would provide accurate data for planning and implementing

development program for Tamil schools.

Appeared it1 YSS website on 3rd December 2007

Development of Tamil School Education in Malaysia --

She believed that the cornpilatioil of sets of questions was the product of

experienced teachers from all over the country and so would be hopeful

and resourceful and thus enable students to excel in the examination

Although Jamunneswary did not have Tamil school background, she was

keen on being a teacher in a Tamil school. She added that the a teacher

should become a sister, friend and mother to her students in order to

make the teaching and learning process effective.

Mrs Saraswathy, coordinator of Tamil schools in Melaka and former

head mistress, who had been teaching Tamil for 15 years, said that Tamil

school students need comprehensive sets of sample questions in order

to prepare them for examination. She added that the standard of Tamil

language among the students must be upgraded further. According

to her, most of the students do not have the reading habit and do

not practise exercises regularly. Some of the students never attended preschools. As a result, they do not know to read and write either in

Tamil or in Malay.

In this regard the parents must make sure that their children attend

pre school and give priority and pay attention to their children's

education.

Mr Muthu Ellapan from SJK (T) Kalaivani, Gurun, Kedah, who has been

teaching Malay language for 7 years said the workshop was a good

move in increasing pass rates in Tamil schools. According to him it is

not important how much one studies but how many questions one can

answer correctlv.

He believed that the students could learn and perform well in the

examination by doing more exercises. He said that his team in the

workshop had compiled more than 100 topics for the Malay language.

Quality Education

He urged the students, with the guidance of their teachers, to practise

those topics in order to score well in the examination.

Mrs Jayaletchumy from SJK (T) Kirby, Negeri Sembilan, a teacher for

30 years, shared her experience in Tamil schools. She said that many

students scored 7As in the UPSR examination because they had practised

well. Therefore the compilation of sample questions would help the

UPSR students to do well in their examination. Besides, she believed

that parents should create a conducive environment for their children

so that they can study without any disturbances. The parents must also

provide nutritious food to their children for their mental development

and knowledge acquisition.

The Tamil School Action Council for which YSS is the secretariat hopes

that the sets of questions compiled would make a positive contribution

towards the excellence of Tamil schools in this country. The council is

thankful to YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu for his magnanimous support and

commitment towards making the Tamil schools as centres of excellent

education and social mobility.

Appeared in Y S S website on 30th April 2003


UPSR Revision Books To Improve Results

For the past five years, it was found that Tamil school students have been

performing well in the UPSR Examination. There are many contributing

factors for the improvement of results among Tamil school students

although a majority of them come from low income families who are less

educated and are unable to guide their children in education.

Considering this factor, the Tamil School Action Council, with the

financial assistance of Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), previously

has been helping Tamil school students in achieving excellent results

in the UPSR by preparing UPSR Revision booklets. The UPSR revision

books that were prepared and given free to each UPSR student in 2003

was a great contribution from MIC in uplifting the standard of Tamil

school students.

The UPSR revision books had helped the UPSR students in 2003 to

achieve good results in the examination. In 2002 only 202 Tamil school

students had scored 7As in the examination whilst in 2003, when the

students were given the books, 356 students had scored 7As. The overall

performance in the examination among the Tamil school students had

also increased in 2003.

Qualitv Education

To further increase the performance of Tamil school students in 2004, the

Revision Books which were produced in 2003, were reprinted with some

minor changes and made available to the 15,000 UPSR candidates in

Tamil schools that year. MIC spent RM 200,000 to reprint and distribute

the books.

YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, gave away the books to UPSR students from

15 Tamil schools in Kuala Lumpur in a special function that was held in

SJK (T) Segambut, Kuala Lumpur on 23 May 2004 at 4.00pm. 15 Tamil

school headmasters, students, parents along with 40 Tamil School Action

Council members were present at that function.

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, in his speech said that, MIC had always taken

initiatives to upgrade the standard of Tamil schools and their students.

A student must do a lot of exercises in order to achieve excellent

results in the UPSR. Teachers' guidance besides additional revision

books definitely would be useful for a student to perform well in the

examination, added Dato Seri.

The revision books which were prepared by 100 expert teachers from

Tamil schools all over the country in 2003, were distributed to all Tamil

school students before the end of May so that the students had sufficient

time to prepare themselves for the examination, said Dato Seri. He urged

the teachers and parents to play a very effective and important role in

delivering the best education to their students.

Appeared in Y S S website on 7th june 2004


Appreciations for Top Achievers In Tamil Schools

Maju Institute of Educational Development (NIIED) under the patronage

of Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu has been rewarding Tamil school students

who had scored 7As in the UPSR examination since 2002. The first

Award Presentation Ceremony for 2002 batch was held at PWTC on 26

January 2003. Top scorers, their parents and headmasters were present

during the ceremony.

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu in his speech during the ceremony said that

Tamil schools had been the choice of many parents. The enrolment in

Tamil schools had been increasing in the past 5 years due to a radical

improvement among the pupils, added Dato Seri. In order to encourage

and motivate the Tamil school pupils to achieve excellent results in UPSR,

this presidential merit award had been introduced. A greater confidence

had been placed by MIC on Tamil schools in producing excellent and

all rounded pupils who would be the pride of the Malaysian Indian

community, said Dato Seri enthusiastically.

YSS Officials interviewed some of the 7As achievers, their parents and

headmasters during the ceremony in order to know the secrets of their

success. In general, extra classes were conducted in the schools after

school hours and during the school holidays. N. Kumutha of SJK (T)

Qualitv Education

Masai, Johor one of the 25 students who got 7As in Johor told that her

school had conducted night classes from 7 pm-10.30pm four days a week

for a period of five months before the examination. Kumutha, whose

father is a lorry driver never failed to attend the extra classes and she

fully concentrated on what was taught in the class.

She added that her father bought many reference books and exercise

books, which guided and helped her to achieve the best result in the

examination. She also read newspaper and referred to the dictionary if

she did not understand certain words. Furthermore no housework was

given to her and Radio and TV were turned off when she was studying.

Her parents also taught her what she did not understand and she was

encouraged by them to take part in language competitions. Kumutha

also said that the best teachers in a particular subject from other schools

conducted guidance seminars in her school. Besides that her friend Thiba

guided her in Mathematics and Science. She hopes to become a Professor

in Malay Language on day.

Ralina Shrin Akbar whose father is a lecturer in University Malaya and

undertaking a PHD in Air Pollution said that her school also conducted

such extra classes. She was guided by her parents and uncle. She did

a lot of exercises and they were checked by her teachers. Although

Ralina is a citizen of India and started studying in SJK (T) Vivekanda, PJ,

Petaling Jaya, from Year 2, she did not face much problems in learning

the Malay language.

She added that the Malay-English dictionary had helped her a lot to be

proficient in that language. Furthermore her teachers and friends helped

her to get A in Malay. She was proud to be one of the 59 top achievers

in Selangor.


Her father Mr Akbar Ali who wanted Ralina to become a space scientist

said that he guided Ralina in the right way to approach the questions, time

management and speed writing. He also said that parents must monitor

the progress of their children to ensure their success in education.

According to him, primary education for a child should be in their mother

tongue. He believes that it will broaden their mind and knowledge.

G. Eswary from SJK (T) Jenjarom, District of Kuala Langat, Selangor

whose mother is a single mother had also scored 7As in the UPSR. She

was one of the 7 top achievers in Kuala Langat District. She said that she

did a lot of exercises and revision to understand the subjects. Her mother

also had sent her for tuition classes in three places and had bought a lot

of reference and exercise books for her.

She was also not allowed to watch television but was allowed to attend

seminars, courses and camps. She had attended the UPSR Camp

organized by YSS in Jugra Training Centre from 5-7April2002. She also

referred to the dictionary to improve the standard of her Malay and

English. She added that her teachers had given a lot of previous years'

examination questions and guided her in answering those questions.

Furthermore, her friends also guided her in group discussion. Eswary

is confident that she will become an accountant in future.

Six pupils from 15 Tamil Schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala

Lumpur scored 7As in the UPSR 2002. One of them was P. Gayatry from

SJK (T) Kg Pandan who also had attended the UPSR Camp organized

by YSS in Kuala Kubu Baru from 22-24 March 2002. Her father is Mr

Palaniandy who is a gardener who never neglected his children in giving

education to lead them towards their bright future. Mr Palaniandy was

willing to spend a lot of money to buy learning materials for Gayatry.

Quality Education

He had arranged a study room for her and had sent her to many

motivation seminars. He said that parents must take care and educate

their children from their childhood. The essentials should be provided

so that they can experience a wholesome environment.

Moreover, Gayatry said that she was never absent to school. She also

practised writing a lot of essays, which helped her to get As in Malay.

Other than that she had taken home tuition from experienced teachers.

Furthermore her school teachers also gave her a lot of encouragement and

guidance. Her headmistress, Madam Muniammah was willing to bring

her and other students for motivation talk and seminars. May Gayatry

become an expert in the field that she would be attached later.

Lin Famiiliya Bahtiar, a Malay girl from SJK (T) Ladang Hopeful,

Batang Berjuntai was one of the 7As achievers. "I was brought u p in a

Tarnil environment, welit to a Tamil kindergarten and naturally went to Tamil

sclzool", Lin said in fluent Tamil when attending the Award Presentation

Ceremony held for the second time for the 2003 batch on 25 January

2004.

Her proud father, Bakhtiar Haira, a labourer, said he wanted his children

to learn another language and put them in a school that was near their

home. "My three other children are studying in Year Six, Four and One

in the same school," he said.

Devika Subramaniam whose father is a rubber taper in Gemencheh

shared the efforts taken by her to get 7As in the examination. She said

that, she had followed her teachers' advice and guidance without fail.

"The teachers in SJK (T) Regent, Gemencheh coached me in a proper

way and their teaching enabled me to score 7As in UPSR," said Devika

proudly. Devika also had put additional efforts on English and Science

so that she could be a doctor in the future.


PENGERUS

Her father, Mr Subramaniam, said that he only expected his daughter

to get 6As but he was so surprised and happy on hearing that Devika

had obtained 7As. His encouragement and sacrifice had contributed to

Devika's success, added Subramaniam.

Yuvanampi from SJK (T) Vivekananda, Petaling Jaya was very happy to

receive an award from Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu. His father Mr Thaiveegan,

an OCPD with the police force gave him a lot of encouragement to excel

in his studies. Furthermore, he was also given home tuition by his

parents.

Mr Thaiveegan said that his wife had set a timetable for Yuvanampi

and they made sure that Yuva strictly followed it. They also bought the

necessary books and helped him wherever possible. Thaiveegan also

Quality Education

said that one should divide his/her time to play, pray and study. The

parents should also monitor the development of their children from

time to time, added Thaiveegan.

Mr Veerapandian, the headmaster of SJK(T) Simpang Lima, where

16 pupils obtained 7As compared to only 5 pupils in 2002, shared his

strategies for the success. He said that the Year Six pupils were given

chances to attend many seminars and extra classes that were conducted

by the expert teachers. The pupils were also streamlined according to

their performance. They were divided into three groups according to

their abilities. One group consisted of weak students, second average

students and another with 7A potential. The teachers were conducting

extra classes according to these groups.

Pupils from the potential group were targeted to score 7As in the

examination. The pupils who performed well in the trial examinations

were given a token of appreciation and their names were displayed on

the school bulletin board. This action had further motivated the pupils

to score 7As in 'JPSR, said Mr Veerapandian. After having taken such

efforts, the passing percentage jumped to 57.7% in 2003 from 43.0% in

2002, added Veerapandian.

Appeared in YSS mebsite on 31st January 2004


16

Meaningful Programs For Quality Tamil Education

Tamil school performance is determined by UPSR results. In order to

make the Tamil school more attractive, there are a lot of efforts taken by

YSS and other social and political organizations. Efforts are taken to offer

more meaningful and quality education for Tamil school pupils so that

their full potential can be realized and their future can be brightened.

To achieve this, YSS has been running meaningful programs for Tamil

school pupils all over the country with the aim of achieving excellent

results among the Tamil school students. One such program was special

camps.

In 2002, 202 out of 13,000 UPSR candidates obtained 7As. To achieve

the target of 300 straight A students in 2003 twelve camps were held all

over the country in June and July that year. 700 potential UPSR pupils

were selected to attend the special camps in each state for 3 days. Each

camp comprised 60 to 70 pupils.

These camps were conducted by Tamil School Headmasters' Council

in each state in collaboration with Yayasan Strategik Sosial. The council

had a planning meeting with YSS on 1 Jun 2003. The council's chairman

Mr Vairan and his office bearers from each state had attended the

meeting. Mrs Jasmine, Service Director of YSS chaired the meeting

while Mr Manikam Krishnan, YSS research officer and Mr K. Gunah,

Quality Education

YSS Family Development officer had expounded about the contents of

the programs.

It was said that, potential 7As pupils be guided on ways to approach

the examination questions by subject. Furthermore, they would be

given motivation and leadership talk so that they would have a will

to achieve 7As by attending the camps. Other than that, YSS officers

and Tamil School Headmasters/mistress council also had discussed to

organize seminars for Tamil school parents to enhance parents' role in

educating their children.

30 parents seminars were scheduled in 9 states in August. The Tamil

school parents, especially those from low income group were invited

to participate in the seminar. They were taught on ways to strengthen

the relationship between parents and children and also parents' role in

educational success and excellence. Experienced speakers in parenting

conducted both aspects of the seminars.

In making a difference among the Tamil school pupils and their parents,

YSS firmly believes that such programs are vital and significant. The

most important thing in realizing these programs is the support and

commitment of various sections of the Indian community. If they are

fully committed, Tamil school education in this country would be the

best in many aspects.

Appeared in YSS website on 5th June 2003


Continuous Programme & Social Supports

There are many organizations in this country that contribute to the

development of Tamil schools. These organizations have been conducting

various programmes with the aim of upgrading the standard of Tamil

school students. Their programmes seem to be one off programmes,

which in practical do not bring about the much-desired output from the

students. In other words that there are very limited number of continuous

programmes for Tamil school students. Continuous programmes are vital

in order to achieve greater success among Tamil school students.

Every one of us know that Tamil school students are really talented both

in academic and in other aspects related to life. In order to bring out their

fullest talents and potentials there should be continuous programmes.

In line with this, YSS previously had conducted underachievers'

programmes for the academically weaker students in various parts of

the country.

Most of the students who attended these programmes were from Tamil

schools. Although it was held only for Remove Class and Form One

students weekly, it definitely would have made a positive impact

indirectly to the development of Tamil schools.

Qualitv Education

These programmes were conducted in 58 places all over the country

where around 1500 academically weaker students had participated.

Tremendous emphasis was given in improving the level of proficiency 1

in Malay and English among the participants. Experienced teachers

involved in these programmes guided the participants sincerely and ,

with vigour.

In achieving excellence among Tamil school students, YSS had planned

and charted out the same programme to assist the academically weaker

students in the early age of schooling. This programme was expanded

to Year Four students who were academically weak so that they would

have a better chance to improve themselves in their studies. This

would definitely be a continuous programme that would be carried

out in several targeted Tamil schools with the advice and help of the

Headmasters. Experienced teachers prepared a comprehensive module

towards that objective.

Besides planning and conducting programmes for Tamil school students,

more serious participation from the so called professionals and Tamil

proponents was needed in achieving holistic development among Tamil

schools in this country.

In this matter I would say that many professionals neglected Tamil

schools. They were in such good positions that they could contribute

their energies and knowledge towards the excellence of Tamil schools.

Why did they stay away from Tamil schools? Even Tamil school

educated professionals hesitated to come forward to help the Tamil

school students.

It was found that there were 526 Tamil schools in this country in 2003 of

which 84% of Tamil schools were located in the rural area. A total number


of 100,400 (52%) Indian students were studying in the Tamil schools while

89,000 (48%) Indian students are at other types of schools. It showed that

a majority of Indian parents preferred to send their children to Tamil

schools. Their confidence towards Tamil schools is highly appreciated

and applauded.

These 100,400 Tamil school students needed strong social support to

brighten their lives. It was not that because of Tamil school education

that the studentsdid not perform well in their studies but it was merely

because of the socio-economic factors. A previous YSS study showed

that a majority of those children came from low-income families whose

parents were less educated or unable to guide them in their studies.

Here the role of professionals become critical. They could have helped

the children by adopting and giving them proper extra guidance in their

studies. Furthermore, the professionals can work together in arranging

free extra classes in a particular place for these children.

In reality, vernacular schools in many parts of the world have yielded

tremendous success for their people. Countries such as Japan, Germany,

Korea etc have been the giants in science and technology although their

people were educated in their mother tongue. They can be competitive

with the rest of the world. What is lacking in Tamil education? Why do

Indians particularly Tamils have less pride in Tamil?

In general, preserving our own mother tongue is paramount. In this

regard, Tamil schools have been the asset and identity for us to be

proud of. Let us put our efforts and actions together for the betterment

of Tamil schools and the enrichment of our language although Malay

and English are vital for us.

Appeared in YSS website on 22nd November 2003

Quality Education

Giving A Fresh Impetus To Tamil School Students

through camps

YSS had undertaken a lot of camps for Tamil School students from

January 2002 to August 2002. The objective of the camps was to motivate

and build confidence among the Tamil school students so that they would

succeed in their education and life. As a coordinator of these camps, I

was personally involved in 7 camps that catered for 1,250 students from

51 Tamil Schools mostly from the Klang Valley.

Those 7 camps were held at the Youth Training Centers in Jugra and

Kuala Kubu Bahru. Most of the participants were UPSR students who

were weak in studies. I gained a lot of knowledge about Tamil school

students who had participated in those camps. I found that Tamil school

students are interested in studies but there wasn't enough guidance and

support from their parents who were themselves not educated and did

not have the skills to guide their children in education.

I took a keen interest on the participants and talked to some of them.

Those students came from different Tamil schools, a majority of whom

come from low-income families that were living in the estates, squatters,

low cost flats and Kampungs. A study by YSS on squatters shows that

these places do not have a healthy environment for a child to concentrate

on studies.


When interviewed, some of the participants and the teachers who

attended the camps, said that the Tamil school students were not facing

so much of social problems as was prevalent in the secondary schools.

According to the teachers the most common problem that the Tamil

school students were facing was playing truant due to lack of interest

in education and uncomplete homework.

The children did not misbehave during the camps. In this regard almost

all the participants were well behaved, supportive and cooperative

during the camps. They took part in all the activities carried out by the

facilitators with full interest. When the speakers asked them questions

on general issues they immediately responded to the questions. They

seemed to be very keen in knowing new things.

In the camps the students were asked to express their ideas in Malay

language to test their proficiency in the language. Some of them could

answer very well in the language while others could neither do well in

the writing nor in the conversation. But most of them need guidance

and help in improving their proficiency in Malay language. Prizes were

given away to the students who showed the potential to score 7 As in

the UPSR exam that year. They were very happy to receive such prizes

and it was hoped that it would encourage the others to study hard.

We had also arranged some out door activities for the participants such

as jungle trekking, sports and so on. They showed more interest in these

activities than on academic related activities. It looked as if they came

for the camps just to participate in jungle trekking.

Quality Education

The teachers also revealed that some of the participants did not have

proper school uniform due to financial problem. Most of those children

had sigle parents. Some of them did not even have proper food at

home.

So I feel that the Tamil school students have the capability to come

up in their life. What they need is a lot of support and guidance from

the community itself. The relevant bodies should come forward to

give a hand to the Tamil school children so that they too will have an

opportunity to succeed in their study and life.

We strongly believe that if the children are prepared to perform very

well in the primary education, they would not face much problems in

the secondary education. The excellence and future of Tamil school

children depends on us.

Appeared itz YSS website or1 24th Jun 2002

INFRASTUCTURE


Tamil School Rebuilding Requirements

YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu had commissioned Yayasan Strategik Sosial

to undertake a study on the rebuilding of Tamil schools. This study

was undertaken to verify data collected on 129 Tamil schools in 2000

and also to prepare a report on Tamil schools that were in dilapidated

condition.

This report was submitted to YB Dato Hishammuddin, Minister of

Education by YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, Minister of Works during

the opening ceremony of the National Symposium For Tamil School

Headmasters in August 2004.

Number of Schools

Out of 129 schools, it was found that 106 Tamil schools needed to be

upgraded in order to smoothen the teaching and learning process. 69 out

of 106 Tamil schools were very old and in dilapidated conditions. These

schools had to be rebuilt immediately. 27 schools required additional

classrooms due to increase in enrolment. While another 10 Tamil schools

were proposed to be relocated to areas with dense Indian population.

lnfrastucture

Table 1 Number of schools by category ' Rebuilding I Additional Building 1 Relocation I Total

School Grade It was found that, 72 schools or 67.9% out of 106 schools were graded as

SKM (school with less than 150 students). Only 7 (6.6%) schools fall under

grade A category while 27 (25.5%) schools are regarded as grade B.

Table 2 Breakdown of school by grade

Location

Grade

Urban

A

B

SKM

Total

Only 10 or 9.4% out of 106 Tamil schools are located in urban areas.

96 (90.6%) schools are located in rural areas. A majority of the schools which are located in rural areas need to be rebuilt.

Table 3 Breakdown of schools by location

Rebuilding

4

5

14

50

69

1 Urban 1 4 4 1 2 1 10(9.4%) 1

Additional Building

4

2 ----- 11

14

27

( Rural 1 65 1 23 1 8 1 96(90.6%) 1

Location

Relocation

2

2-

8

10

Rebuilding

Total

10 (9.4%)

7(6.6%)

27 (25.5%)

72 (67.9%)

106 (100.0%)

Total Additional Building

I I I I

Relocation

10 1 106 (100.0%) Total I 69 27


Type of schools Tamil schools are categorised as partially aided school or fully aided

school. In this regard, it was found that there are 97 or 91.5% out of 106

schools that are categorised as partially aided schools. They lack facilities.

Only 9 schools are regarded as fully aided schools by the government.

Table -1 Breakdown of schools by type of assistance

Land Ownership

Type

Partially aided

Fully aided

Total

A majority of the Tamil schools are located in land owned by estate

management. 65 or 61.3% out of 106 tamil schools are located in estate

Rebuilding

65

4

69

land. It is followed by 21 schools which are located in private land and

18 schools located in government land. Two more schools are located

Additional Building

24

3

27

in land that belonged to others.

Relocation

8

2

10

Total

9 (91.5%)

9 (8.5%)

106 (100.0%)

Table 5 Breakdown of school by land ownership

Estate

, Private

Land

1 Government I 10

1 Total 1 69 1 27 ( 10 1106(100.0%)1

Additional Building

Rebuilding

46

13

Appeared in YSS website on 26th August 2004

88

5

0 2 (2.0%) 1 Others

Relocation

13

7

3 1 18 (16.9%) 1

Total

0

6

1

2

65(61.3%7

21 (19.8%)

lnfrastucture

Tamil School Building Programme For 2003

Introduction

Tamil schools in this country have been selected by parents of more than

half of the Primary school going Indian children for their educational

advancement. They do have confidence in Tamil school education.

Through the tireless efforts of YB Dato Seri S Samy Vellu, many Tamil

schools have been built with the best facilities, which makes the learning

and teaching process much easier. In this regard, the government through

YB Dato Seri had allocated some fund to rebuild schools, which had been

in deplorable conditions.

Allocation

A YSS survey in the year 2000 revealed that there were 180 schools in a

bad state of affairs and needed immediate attention from the government.

In response to this survey, MIC charted out an action plan to rebuild

those 180 schools and renovate them within a period of 10 years. In this

regard, 19 schools had been rebuilt in 2002 at a cost of RM 17.8 million

of which the government gave RM 13.9 million.

For the year 2003, 18 schools from various parts of the country were

selected based on the condition of the schools. A sum of RM 19.630


millions was requested from the Prime Minister by YB Dato Seri S.

Samy Vellu to rebuild and renovate these schools in order to upgrade

the standard of education.

Status of schools

Out of the 18 schools, 17 schools are located in rural areas while one in

the urban area. 16 out of the 18 schools are partially aided while 2 are

fully aided. 9 schools situated in the estate land, while 7 on private land

and 2 on government land.

Problems

The deplorable conditions in those schools include cracked floor, wall and

ceiling, very old with wooden buildings, old wiring, prone to flooding,

leaking roof, clogged drains and toilets, and lack of class rooms. These

problems hinder the learning and teaching process in those schools.

Conclusion

MIC hopes that the rebuilding of Tamil schools will strengthen the Tamil

education in this country. With the support of the government and Dato

Seri's commitment and involvement, the Tamil schools will undergo a

tremendous and positive change in the next 10 years to come.

Appeared in Y S S website on 10th March 2003

lnfrastucture

Kelantan Tamil School With Hostel Facilities

SJK (T) Pasir Gajah is the only Tamil school in Kelantan, which is located

in a small town called Kuala Krai. It was a half wooden school with few

basic facilities. With the efforts of the Federal Government and YB Dato

Seri S. Samy Vellu, Minister of Works, it had been rebuilt with vital basic

facilities. Although this school only had 24 students and 5 teachers, the

government did not hesitate to rebuild a 4-storey building and quarters

for teachers.

Considering the current number of students that the school has, more

efforts are being taken by the PTA and the education bureau of MIC

Kelantan to increase the number of students. To achieve this, a special

project called "SJK (T) Pasir Gajah Excellence" was started by both parties.

Under the project, the school was to be converted into a residential school

when the new7 school term began in January 2004.

Mr Manivannan, coordinator of the project, said that orphaned children,

and poor children of single parents were targeted to enrol in that school.

They would be provided with accommodation, food, books and other

facilities for a period of six years, added Manivannan. To this effect, a

circular was sent to various orphanages, social and welfare organizations


all over the country asking them to send the above mentioned children

to that school.

In order to equip the school with hostel facilities, donation was expected

from the public. According to Mr Balakrishnan, Chairman of the school

PTA, the school needed beds, mattresses, sports equipment, and

reference books other than donation for food provision to the students.

He said that the school needed such facilities for 50 students then. Once

the school had more than 50 students, the government would provide

all the facilities mentioned above.

YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, during the meeting with the school

committee, said that the government had always been concerned with

the development of Tamil schools. In the previous year, many Tamil

schools had been built with aid from government's allocations. Being the

only school in Kelantan, the Indian community, especially in Kelantan

should safeguard the school by sending their children there. He added

that converting the school into a residential school would give a chance

to orphans and poor children to receive excellent education. Financial

problem should not be a barrier for a child to receive education, said

Dato Seri.

The project committee members approached YSS on 23 December 2003

to assist them in implementing the project successfully. During the

discussion, they had requested YSS to disseminate information about the

school to its neighbourhood areas all over the country so that orphaned

and poor children could be enrolled. Besides, YSS was asked to get some

sponsorship for the project.

Appeared in Y S S website on 31" December 2003

lnfrastucture

Tamil Schools Need RM 4 Million For Immediate Repairs

In 2005, the government approved an urgent allocation of RMlO million

for all government-aided schools including Tamil and Chinese national

type schools that needed immediate repairs. Education Minister Datuk

Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the allocation was for temporary

repairs that would be done before the end of the year. He also said

that the government would consider more allocation for rebuilding or

upgrading the condition of vernacular schools in the near future. It is

expected that those schools would be rebuilt under the ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010).

Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) with the assistance of Yayasan Strategik

Sosial and YB Komala Krishnamoorthy, Parliamentary Secretary to

Education Ministry had prepared a list of 156 Tamil schools that needed immediate repairs. Those 156 schools were examined by Public Works

Departments (JKR) throughout the country. Selangor topped the list with 36

schools followed by Perak (30 schools), ]ohor (25), Kedah (19), Negeri Sembilan

(16), Pahang (12), Penang (11), Malacca (5) and Kuala Lumpur (2).

YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu, Minister of Works, personally went through

the 156 schools and checked the details for the repairs of the schools. He also determined the estimated cost for repairs of each school as estimated


by JKR. After checking the details, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu said that the

156 Tamil schools needed RM 4 million for repairs. He requested the

Education Ministry to provide due consideration on this matter.

The JKR reportsrevealed that, a majority of the old school buildings were

not safe from termites. Many of the Tamil schools were built in the 50s.

They are half wooden buildings that are eaten by termites. Other than

that it was found that the roof and ceiling of the schools were not in good

condition. There were leakages. The walls and floors were also cracked.

Several schools did not have proper toilets and classrooms. There were

some deficiencies in the canteen buildings as well.

It is important to repair the schools that are threatening the safety of the

students. Old buildings need to be replaced.

Appeared irl YSS website on 8th October 2005

lnfrastucture

RM500,OOO For Simpang Lima Tamil School

Under the Malaysian Educational Blueprint, there is greater emphasis

given to elevate the standard of Malaysian schools based education to be

on par with the international standards. One of the far sighted initiatives

undertaken by the education ministry is the introduction of Cluster

schools. As a start, 30 schools ranging from primary schools to higher

secondary schools have been chosen and declared as cluster schools in

2007. The schools are regarded as model schools and prominence is given

in equipping the schools with state-of-the-art facilities and enhancing

the educational quality of those schools in their niche areas.

SJK(T) Simpang Lima, Klang is the only Tamil school that has achieved

cluster school status among the 30 cluster schools. This is the biggest

Tamil school in the country in terms of student enrolment. Currently

there are 2016 students studying in the school. Since the school was

declared a cluster school, the school staff team and Parents Teachers

Association (PTA) have been enthusiastic in planning and implementing

various programs for their students.

YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Bin Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia

in the 2008 budget announced that a sum of RM500,000 be approved for

each cluster school. Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, one of the members in

the Cluster Schools Advisory Board had a discussion with the PTA on 8


October 2007 in the Simpang Lima Tamil school. During the discussion

Dr Denison conveyed to them that RM500,OOO had earmarked for the

school to equip the school with some basic facilities and to undertake

programs for the students in their niche area.

He elaborated that, the money could be used for infrastructure

development, improvement of quality of education and development

of niche areas.

The PTA members during the discussion expressed their interest in

conducting German class as a niche area for the students. They said

that an arrangement has been made to kick off the class in few weeks'

time. Besides, the PTA has also decided to start an archery class in the

school soon.

Since the PTA has been malung good progress in running IT classes in

their self created computer lab in the school for years, Datuk Denison

encouraged them to link with an IT oriented school in Tamil Nadu and

NIIT, India through the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur as

a way to further enhance skills of the students in IT. He also indicated

that YSS would identify the school and provide some assistance.

At the end of the discussion Dr Denison announced that The Cluster

School Advisory Board would select and declare another Tamil school

as a Cluster School in the selection of the next 30 cluster schools in 2008.

Therefore, he urged the PTA and school staff team to undertake their

earnest efforts to make the school competitive and excel in comparison to

other schools and meet the requirement to attain international standard

in quality education. He said that he envisaged Simpang Lima Tamil

School to be an exemplary and top notch Tamil school.

Appeared in Y S S website on 9th October 2007

lnfrastucture

- RM4 million for 22 Tamil schools - Seaport Tamil school will be rebuilt in Kg Medan - New Tamil schools to be built - Additional RM20 million for Tamil schools

The plight of 22 Tamil schools in Selangor had drawn the attention of

Selangor Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) YAB Dato Seri Khir Bin Toyo.

Several portions of the schools are in deplorable conditions. They either

need to be rebuilt or upgraded. These schools are classified as partially aided schools and located in the rural areas.

Due to the deplorable condition, the schools also face greater problems in

accommodating the increasing number of students as there are shortage of classrooms. In some schools, teachers have to conduct classes in the

canteen.

To address their plight, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu said that the Selangor

Menteri Besar had allocated RM2 million. Apart from that Dato Seri

S. Samy Vellu secured an additional RM2 million from the Education

Minister, Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

In this regards, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu had a meeting with the 22

headmasters/headmistresses on 6 February 2008. At the meeting he

discussed the allocation and action plans to upgrade the school buildings.

97

Develo~rnent of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

He requested Datin Azizah, Director of Schools Division of JKR who

was also present in the meeting to get the work completed as soon as

possible.

YB Datin Paduka Komala Krishnamoorthy, Parliamentary Secretary

to Education Ministry, YB Kamala Ganapathy, Selangor State Exco

and Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, Executive Director of YSS were also

present at this meeting.

New building

In the meeting it was announced that 11 out of the 22 schools will get

a new lease of life. These schools will be fully rebuilt with all teaching

and learning facilities. The schools are SJK(T) Bangi, SJK(T) Ladang

Semenyih, SJK(T) Ladang Tumbuk, SJK(T) Glenmarie, SJK(T) RRI Sg

Buloh, SJK(T) Ladang Sabak Bernam, SJK(T) Ladang Sg Bernam, SJK(T) Ladang Midlands, SJK(T) Ladang Bute, SJK(T) Ladang Ampar Tenang

and SJK(T) Ladang Valamrosa.

SJK(T) Kajang will receive a five storey building at a cost of RM3.3 million

under special allocation from the Ministry of Education. The Parents-

Teachers Association of the school has also contributed a substantial

sum for the rebuilding of the school. The construction work would be

commencing at any time, said Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu. Once the building

is built, SJK(T) Kajang will be the only Tamil school in the country with

a 5 storey building.

Partially rebuilt

The other 11 schools will either be partially rebuilt or upgraded. The

schools are SJK(T) Ladang Coalfields, SJK(T) Ladang Ebor, SJK(T)

Ladang Bukit Ijok, SJK(T) Ladang Sungai Rambai, SJK(T) Ladang

Changkat Asa, SJK(T) Ladang Kg Baru, SJK(T) Ladang Sungai Terap,

SJK(T) Ladang Acob, SJK(T) Ladang Selangor River SJK(T) Brauston

and SJK(T) Brafferton.

Relocation of Tamil school

In addition to these, Samy Vellu said that the Selangor Menteri Besar

has also allocated RM1.2 million to relocate and rebuild SJK(T) Seaport

from Sungai Way to Kampung Medan where there is a high density of

Indian population. It is expected that once that school is built, it would

ease the overcrowding at SJK(T) Vivekananda, Petaling Jaya.

The ground breaking ceremony for the school will be held on 13 February

2008 by Selangor Menteri Besar, YAB Dato Seri Khir Bin Toyo and YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu.

STK (T) Desa Cernerlang, Johor


New Tamil Schools

He also indicated that a new Tamil school would be built in Taman Tun

Sambathan in Sungai Siput as one of the ways to reduce the overcrowd'hg

in SJK(T) Mahatma Gandhi Kala Salai which currently has 951 students

and is expected that the number would go up to more than 1,000 students

in 2009. Besides that, one more new Tamil school would be built in Putra

Height, Puchong.

RM 20 million for Tamil schools

In another development, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu announced that the

govenunent has approved an additional sum of RM20 million for this

year to change the old face of several Tamil schools. According to him,

the second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohd has agreed to set aside

the amount for rebuilding Tamil schools. These include the rebuilding of SJK(T) Sangeetha Sabha in Ipoh. the names of other schools are being finalized.

Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu hopes that with the sufficient allocation from the government, all Tamil schools in the country could be equipped with

the latest learning and teaching facilities.

Appeared in YSS website on 13th February 2008

ISSUES


25

Pahang Tamil School Issue

Pahang MIC Education Committee had a discussion with National

MIC Education Bureau Chairman, Datuk Prof Dr T. Marimuthu on 8

December 2003 at MIED Conference room. Its chairman, YB Devendaran

and five other committee members, represented the Pahang MIC

Education Committee.

This discussion was held to highlight several issues related to Tamil

schools in Pahang and also to implement some programmes for the

development of Tamil schools in the state. Prof T. Marimuthu was

briefed that, Pahang Tamil schools had recorded more passes in the

UPSR examination that year compared to previous years. 29 students

have obtained 7As compared to 21 students in 2002.

There were earnest efforts taken by various parties to improve the

quality of education among Tamil school students. It was told that, the

UPSR sample questions booklets that were provided free to the UPSR

candidates that year had been one of the reasons for the improvement

among Tamil school students.

In this regard, Prof T. Marimuthu said that, Tamil school students

have been performing well since 1998 compared to 10 to 20 years back.

He added that Tamil school parents were aware of the importance of

education as a tool for progress. Their mindsets towards Tamil schools

had changed where they placed greater confidence in their children's

success in education.

Prof also expressed his feeling that, scoring 7As in the examination

should not be the prime motive in our education system. Although giving

emphasis to the potential student is important, other students should

not be given less attention or priority in the study. In fact the weaker or

average students should be given more guidance and encouragement

so that they would be able to succeed in their studies.

In order to sustain and improve further the quality of education among

Tamil school students in Pahang, the committee charted out an action

plan for the year 2004, 2005 and 2006. The committee submitted a

proposal to Prof to conduct special tuition classes for Year 4 to Year 6

students in the 37 Tamil schools in Pahang. In this matter, YSS would

provide some funds to conduct the proposed classes if the Government

provided allocation to YSS the next year.

The committee also raised other issues related to Tamil schools in

Pahang in the discussion. It was said that there were some small schools

especially in the estates, which were in danger of closure in another 5 to

10 years due to migration of people to urban areas when the estates were

developed. As a solution to the problem, it was proposed that the schools

be relocated in the residential areas with a dense Indian population.

In another matter, YB Devendaran said that some schools did not have

sufficient movable properties such as chairs, table, computers, cabinet

and so on. Those schools are unable to cope with the increasing number


of students every year. He urged the State Education Department to

solve the problem as soon as possible.

Besides that, Mr Nadarajah, Pahang Tamil school coordinator, said that

untrained teachers from Tamil schools were not offered School Holidays

Courses (Kursus Dalam Cuti) that year causing Pahang Tamil schools

to be short of 52 trained teachers for the year 2004. The termination of

these courses for untrained Tamil school teachers will affect the teaching

and learning process in Tamil schools.

In conclusion, Datuk Dr Prof T.Marimuthu said that, he would bring up

these matters to YB Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu for immediate action. He

also praised the Pahang MIC Education Committee for being serious and

committed in the development of Tamil Schools in Pahang.

Appeared in YSS zuebsite on 20th December 2003

Issues

26

Tamil Schools To Stay On

We know that Tamil schools in Malaysia were established 100 years ago.

Since then it has been witnessing a lot of changes in providing quality

education to the children especially to those from low income families.

Although Tamil schools were established by the British for children

from estates, initially to attract labourers to stay back for a longer period,

as time passed by, they have gradually transformed into centers for

education. Like other schools, Tamil school also follows the national

syllabus and all rules and regulations stipulated by the Malaysian Education Ministry.

We cannot deny that Tamil schools safeguard our culture and language.

It is also a place for Tamil speaking children to learn about their own culture and values thus enhancing their skills in learning. Even the

UNESCO reports say that the medium of instruction at the primary level

should be in the child's mother tongue as it plays an important role in

enhancing the child's potential.

Another interesting and exclusive feature of Tamil schools is that Indian

children especially those from low income families receive more love

and care from the teachers. The parents and students also feel very

comfortable with Tamil school teachers. Furthermore, many parents


are unable to speak proper Malay. This makes it difficult for them to

communicate with Non Indian teachers in National schools.

Many say that the Tamil language has no economic value or it has very

few job opportunities. In reality, students are taught their own language

not to secure a job, but to instill cultural values and facilitate the processes

of teaching and learning. It is not implied that learning Malay or English

or any other language, for that matter, promises employment. It is up

to the individual how he/she acquires the knowledge and effectively

puts it into practice .

After six years of primary education, the Tamil school students are

integrated in the secondary schools. There, they learn everything in

languages, other than Tamil. This goes on to prove that these students

not only have the capacity to learn through other languages but also have

the potential to perform well in their studies. So I don't see the rationale

behind the argument on 'job opportunities'. Language is a tool to acquire

knowledge and not to secure a job. If a person knows more languages,

he/she can acquire more knowledge by reading the materials available

in those languages.

I know a lot of professionals who had received primary education

in Tamil schools. They became professionals not because of Tamil

language, but because of the knowledge that they acquired through

education. Mother tongue education helped them broaden their minds

and strengthen their belief systems.

There are many educated parents and professionals who send their

children to Tamil schools. They are aware of the importance of keeping

our culture alive although we are in a globalised world. They feel that

besides preserving the mother tongue, acquiring knowledge and cultural

values are critical.

106

Issues

It is true that there were many dilapidated Tamil schools 10-15 years ago.

There were also other schools that were dilapidated during the same

period. Nowadays, we have many Tamil schools with the latest teaching

and learning facilities. If the educated parents send their children to

Tamil schools, I am sure their children will also perform well. What I

am trying to say is, the type of school does not really matter, what really

matters is how the parents educate their children and bring them up in

the society.

It is also inappropriate to say that we are keeping our children in the

dark. Children from Tamil schools are well exposed to other languages

besides Tamil. There is a lot of importance given to Malay and English in

Tamil schools. Furthermore, Tamil school students do better in English

than Malay. That is the reason why the Government's move to teach

Mathematics and Science in English was welcomed by Tamil schools.

In a democratic country the parents have the right to decide which school

their children must attend. Normally, parents send their children to

schools which they find more comfortable for both themselves and their

children. More than 50 % of the Indian parents feel very comfortable

with Tamil schools, and therefore send their children there. Others feel

national school is more comfortable.

The same applies to politicians. We should be grateful to the politicians

who are executing their responsibilities in providing the best for Tamil

school children. Respecting the parents' interest towards Tamil school,

the politicians take initiatives to provide all the facilities to Tamil school.

We must understand that they are not in any way obliged to send their

children to Tamil schools. No one is, for that matter!


In brief, Tamil school is a constitutional right granted to the Indians in

this country. Therefore it is considered unscrupulous to hurt the feelings

of parents who send their children to Tamil schools. We should, instead,

respect the trust and confidence they have placed on Tamil schools in

shaping their children's future. And as long as there is demand for Tamil

schools and continued progress among the students, the Tamil school

will stay on. Let us give our support to these schools.

Appeared in YSS website on 27th December 2004

Issues

Under-Enrolled Schools

There are 7,513 primary schools in this country out of which 33% or

2,260 schools have fewer than 150 students (under enrolled schools). In

the case of Tamil schools, a YSS study in 2005 showed that 329 (62.7%)

out of 523 Tamil schools in the country have fewer than 150 students.

These 329 schools had 21,259 or 21.7% students whereas the total number

of students at 194 schools with more than 150 students stood at 76,674

students.

Tamil schools by enrolment

0 Fewer than 150 students More than 151 students


A majority of those schools are located in the rural areas especially in

the estates and small towns. Migration of Indians from estates to urban

areas due to crop conversion and development of the estates as industrial

and housing areas has resulted in the decline of students in the estate

schools and increase in the urban schools. There are many big Tamil

schools with more than 1000 students in the urban areas which have

been experiencing shortage of classroom for years.

It was found that there were 72.6% or 97 Tamil schools out of 136 Tamil

schools in Perak that had fewer than 150 students. It was followed by

Johor where there were 47 or 67.1% schools out of 70 schools with fewer

than 150 students. Selangor falls on the third place where 43 schools out

of 96 schools had fewer than 150 students.

It is also important to note that 28.8% or 151 Tamil schools out of 329

under enrolled Tamil schools have fewer than 50 students. These

schools need to be relocated to high Indian density areas especially in

the urban areas as one of the ways to address the problem faced by the

over crowded Tamil schools in the urban areas.

The under enrolled Tamil schools face difficulties in terms of finances,

infrastructure and teachers quality. The government is concerned in

addressing the problems faced by the under enrolled schools in the 9th

Malaysia Plan.

Appeared in Y S S zuebsite on 21st November 2005

Teaching Of Mathematics & Science in English

The Issue

The government has made a policy decision to teach Mathematics and

Science using English as the medium of instruction in Year One onwards,

in public schools starting from January 2003. The Ministry of Education

has also announced that Mathematics and Science will be taught using

English in stages in other years in primary and secondary schools starting

from January 2003.

Therefore, it is important that the Indian Community weighs the pros

and cons of teaching Mathematics and Science using English and make

a decision as soon as possible for the future of Tamil schools in this

country.

The decision needs to be taken in the light of significant measures that are

to be implemented by the Ministry of Education in National Schools to

make them more attractive to non-Bumiputera students. The significant

measures include, the teaching of Tamil Language in the formal time-

table and free text-books to all students studying in national schools.


Factors which support the shift

1 Provides more English language is not the lingua franca

time and discourse in most working class Indian homes who

for learning sent their children to Tamil schools. The

English shift certainly provides more time and

discourse for using the language, which

otherwise would not be available to Tamil

school students.

2 Students' With the shift, students are introduced to

familiarity with the terminology in English, which in most

the terminology in instances is the language of Mathematics

English and Science. This offers an excellent

opportunity to these students to familiarize, acquire and use the terminology from the

source language.

Students' Irrespective of whether Tamil schools preparedness for decide to accept the shift, the teaching of

schooling at the mathematics and science will be changed

secondary level to English in stages at all levels. With th s

shift, students will be better prepared

for the instruction of mathematics and

science in English. Without this, they will

have to constantly do 'code-switching'

and spend considerable amount of time

trying to understand concepts, principles

and patterns which make up the core of

Mathematics and Science.

4 Accessibility and

usage of internet

and ICT

5 Technical

and scientific

knowledge in

English.

6 Preparedness for the challenges of

Globalisation

The language of the internet is English.

With the introduction of Mathematics and

Science in English from Year One, students

are provided with the opportunity to

access and use the internet. They will be

advantaged to acquire the IT skills.

The government is trying hard to offer places

in the higher institutions of learning with

a ratio of 60:40 for science and arts. Tamil

school students will be advantaged with the

command of English which is the language

of science and technology to enter into

science and technology based disciplines.

The government is also emphasizing more

in the vocational and technical education.

Most of the latest books, journals, and

research papers are in English. The students will find it easier to read the materials in the

original language.

Tamil school students will improve their

competitiveness for the challenges of

globalisation with English Language,

Mathematics and Science.

7 Opportunity to Research suggests that children will be able

acquire another to acquire and master languages at a very

language at a very early stage. The introduction of English

early stage Language in the early stage will not be a

problem for them to master.


8 Preparedness Tamil school students will be better

for life-long prepared for life-long education both education locally and internationally with a better

command of English, and in particular,

knowledge in Mathematics and Science

through English.

9 Motivation There is certainly a higher motivation

amongst students amongst Indian students in acquiring and to learn English using English Language, the language of Language the international community. This will

boost students' self-concept and self-

image.

Factors which do not support the shift

1 Fears Remarks

The characteristics and Even with the shift, all subjects except

uniqueness of Tamil English Language, Malay Language,

schools Mathematics and Science will be taught in

Tamil which constitutes almost 60 % of the

time allocated for teaching and learning in

Tamil schools. The culture and language

can be safeguarded by the culture of the

school which is mainly Tamil based.

2 Non-Tamil teachers This perceived problem can be solved as a

may be posted to condition for the shift

Tamil schools to teach

these four subjects

which will change the

characteristics of Tamil

schools.

3 The number of Tamil This can also be addressed as a condition

He a d m a s t e r s a n d to the Ministry of Education.

teachers in Tamil

schools may be further

reduced by this shift.

4 The p r e p a r e d n e s s The overall proficiency in English of present

of teachers to teach day teachers with the exception of those

M a t h e m a t i c s a n d who are trained to teach English Language

Science in English. is low. The government has offered to train

teachers who will be teaching Mathematics

and Science in English.


5 How can one teach

M a t h e m a t i c s a n d

Science in English when

students have not even

acquired basic skills in

English, especially when

English is not one's

mother tongue?

This is a problem faced by all students

in all schools and this is not peculiar to

Tamil schools. As such, this is problem

which will be tackled by the Ministry of

Education. The problem can be solved

by starting kindergarten classes where

they can be prepared for entry into

primary cycle.

6 Since most of the parents

of Tamil School children

are from low socio-

economic status they will

not be able to provide

educational support at

home in Mathematics

and Science if taught in

English.

7 Mathematics and Science

are abstract subjects

and hence can only be

understood easily in the

mother tongue.

-

Since most of them are from the low

socio economic status, the educational

support they provide at present for

their children is low. This problem can

be addressed by conducting tuition

classes by the schools and other social

organisations as in the case at present.

This problem is faced by all children

not only Tamil school children. Based

on educational theory "any concept

can be taught to any child at any age if

it is taught in an intellectually honest

way"

Issues

Conditions which need to be met before implementing the teaching of Mathematics and Science using English Language in Tamil Schools

Conditions

1 The characters of Tamil Schools should be safeguarded as enshrined in

the Education Act 1996

2 The time allotted for the Tamil Language in the primary school

csurriculum should not be further reduced.

3 That there should be no reduction in the number of Tamil teachers in

the SJKO schools.

4 Train Tamil-spealung teachers who are familiar with the culture of

students studying in Tamil schools to teach Mathematics and Science.

5 Give priority to teachers teaching Mathematics and Science in Tamil

schools now, in training teachers to teach these subjects.

6 All subjects other than English Language, Malay Language,

Mathematics and Science should continue to be taught in Tamil. 7 Introduce English Language from Year One in all Tamil Schools.

8 There should be enough support systems including the on-going

training of teachers, resource materials, and other physical facilities. 9 Teaching of Tamil Language should be included in the formal time-

table in secondary schools. 10 There has to be incentives both for teachers and schools when

implementing this initiative in schools.

11 All Tamil schools should have pre-schools which could prepare

students to receive instruction in English starting Year One.

12 Infrastructural facilities need to be upgraded in Tamil schools

irrespective of their status either as 'Bantuan Penuh' or 'Bantuan Modal'

schools.

Appeared in YSS website on 10th August 2002


Pupils' Opinion On Teaching Of Mathematics And Science In English

Introduction

English Language has become a tool of communication in order to face

the challenges in the information technology era and the borderless

world. In realizing this, the government has taken a concrete step to

prepare the people of this country especially the school going children

to be proficient in the language. As an initial move, Mathematics and

Science are taught in English for the Year One pupils and Form One

students.

YSS undertook a survey in October 2002 on this matter to get the opinion

of the Tamil Primary school children. The survey was conducted whle

they were attending, 'Towards Secondary School Program'. A sampling

of 353 pupils from Year Six from 4 different schools in the Klang Valley

had been used in this survey. They were taken based on their different

socio economic environments. Table 1 below shows the schools from

which the pupils were taken for the survey.

Issues

Tablel: Number of Pupils according to place

Type of Living Places

Places Kuala Lumpur (15 schools)

SJK (T) Vivekananda, Petaling Jaya

SJK (T) Sg Renggam, Shah Alam

SJK (T) Batu Caves, Selayang

Total

These 353 pupils live in different types of places. Of this 33.4% pupils are

living in low cost flats. 19.8% live in low cost terrace houses and another

14.7% pupils in long houses. Other pupils are living in the squatter

houses (6.5%), and a few of them live in houses such as medium cost

houses and bungalow houses. The living places of 51 or 14.5% pupils

were not known.

Parents' Education

No of pupils 104

95

84

70

353

A majority of their parents had received only primary and secondary education. In this connection 51.0 percent and 29.7 percent fathers had

completed their education at secondary school and primary school

respectively. 35.1% of the mothers also had completed their primary

education and 46.7% their secondary education. Only 10.3% fathers and

8.0% mothers had received tertiary education.

Percentage (%) 29.5

26.9

23.8

19.8

100


Table 2: Parents' Education Level

Occupation

Due to their low education, a majority of the parents are working as

unskilled workers (labourers, factory workers, rubber tapers etc) and

semi skilled workers (technician, mechanic, etc). In this regards, 24.7 % fathers out of 307 fathers and 54.9% mothers out of 133 mothers are

working as unskilled workers in various sectors while 54.7 fathers and 18.0% mothers are working as semi skilled workers. A percentage of 13.4

fathers and 20.3 mothers are working as managers, doctors, engineers,

lecturers, teachers, clerks, artists etc. A small number of fathers (7.2%)

and mothers (6.8%) are doing their own business.

Household Income

In line with the education and occupation of their parents, the household

income was determined in the survey. A majority, that is 54.7% of the

families earned monthly income between RM 511 to RM 1200 followed

by 28.8% of families that earned between RM 1201 to RM 5000 per

month. A percentage of 12.5 families were found earning less than 510

per month.

Issues

Pupils Opinion

The pupils' opinion on the teaching of Mathematic and Science in

English in Form One were sought. Of this, 321 (90.9%) pupils said that

they were interested to learn Mathematic and Science in English for

various reasons. A majority (27.7%) of them strongly believed that they

could improve their standard of English by learning the two subjects in

English. According to them, one can enrich their vocabulary, which could

help them to speak the language fluently. Besides that 17.2% pupils felt

that it was easier to learn in English than in Malay.

Others said that they liked English very much (14.6%), it would broaden

their knowledge (10.6%), it was important for their future (6.2%), to give

a try (3.7%), International language (2.2%), can go to overseas (1.9%),

and was easier to secure a job (0.3%). 15.6% of the pupils did not give

their reasons for supporting this move.

Although a majority of the pupils had positive opinion on this move, a small number of pupils (9.1%) said that they were not interested to learn

Mathematics and Science in English. The reasons given were, they did not understand English (37.5%), it was easy to learn in Malay (6.3%), and other reasons being their interest in learning the available scientific terminologies in Tamil, and the difficulty to learn in English. 15 out of

32 pupils who were not interested to learn the subjects in English did

not give any reasons.


Conclusion

In general, the survey showed that although a majority of pupils came

from low income families, they are interested to learn Mathematics and

Science in English. It seemed that they do not face any problems and

difficulties in learning the subjects in English although they conununicate

all the time in Tamil at home. So, one cannot underestimate the ability of

the Tamil school pupils. If they can do it, let us encourage them.

Appeared in Y S S website O I Z ZOtll Februa y 2003

30

Pre School in Tamil Schools

The early years of children's lives are ones of rapid growth and

development. They enter their pre-school years with a background of

significant learning experiences gathered within their family, friends,

neighbours and relatives. Many will have further added experiences

of learning through play by attending parent and toddler groups,

playgroups or nurseries. During their pre school years enhancement of

their learning is continued in a range of settings in the private, public

and voluntary sectors. But at the same time the child's most valuable experiences in many ways will continue to take place at home and

community.

The vital contribution of pre-school education lies in developing and

broadening the range of children's learning experiences in order to

make them confident, eager and enthusiastic learners who are looking

forward to starting school. Such an educational experience should be

of the highest quality and be based on the best interests of children,

should centre on the importance of relationships, and create an inclusive

environment for the child to learn.

Pre school education in Malaysia has been given importance since 2000.

The Malaysian Education Ministry has been taking necessary steps to


provide pre school classes at all primary schools. In the 8th Malaysia

Plan the Government approved a total of 7,500 classrooms beginning

year 2002 in Primary schools. Until 2004, a total o f 2,803 classrooms have

been completed, fully furnished together with pre-school educational

equipment. In 2004 alone a total of RM46, 692,800 was spent on 500

classrooms that were renovated into pre-school classrooms.

In the case of Tamil primary school, YSS research report in 2004 showed

that only 96 (18.2%) Tamil schools out of 523 schools had pre-school

classes in their premises. Out of this, pre school classes in 42 schools are

run by government, 36 schools by Parents Teachers Association (PTA)

and in another 17 by private organizations. (It was updated that 75 Tamil

schools had pre school classes run by Government as of 2006).

Pre school classes in Tamil schools (2004)

17 schools

42 schools

Gowrnment 36 schools

PTAs

Because of the fact that a majority of Tamil school going children come

from low-income families, they cannot afford studying at privately run

pre-schools. As a result, a majority of these children are without pre

school education and enter standard one without 3R skills. This problem

is prevalent among many students studying in rural and interior schools.

The latest figures reveal that there are 100,000 students in primary

schools who have yet to grasp the 3R skills.

Realizing this phenomenon, several Indian social organizations and

individuals have put their hands together to provide an opportunity for

Indian students to undergo pre school classes. As a pilot project Tamil

schools in Kuala Lumpur have been targeted. It was learnt that 3 out

of the 15 Tamil schools in Kuala Lumpur do not run pre school classes.

Now a steering committee has been set up by few social activists to assist

in setting up pre school classes in those schools in 2006.

Recently the committee had three meetings with the 15 Tamil schools to

chart out an action plan to conduct pre-school classes in these schools. Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam chaired this committee while the coordinator of

the project was Ir Arumugam. The committee received an overwhelming

response from various organizations/individuals in setting up pre schools. Now the committee has decided to conduct a training session

for pre schoolteachers in November 2005.

SJK(T) Fletcher is a fully government aided Tamil school in Kuala

Lumpur. It has a one year old three story new building. Pre school class

was started in January 2005 with 25 students. Mr Janarthana who is the

headmaster of SJKO Jalan Fletcher, Kuala Lumpur has been there for the

past one year. He has 25 years experience of teaching English at National

Schools in various part of the country. In 2000, he was promoted as


headmaster and sent to SJK(T) Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. After serving

3 years there, he has been transferred to SJK(T) Fletcher in 2004.

According to Mr Janarthana, when the pre school class first started at

Fletcher, more than 30 students came to register. But the school could

only take 25 students in line with the requirement of the Education

Ministry. They had to turn down other applications. Many students

except one or two in the Pre School are very good in reading, writing

and arithmetic, he elaborated.

He also said that there is a wider gap between those who enter standard

one with pre school education and without pre school education. Those

students with Pre School experiences mix around better compared to

those without pre school participation. "Standard one students without pre

school education do not have enough confidence, respond slozclly to teachers, do

izof express tlzeirfeelirlg or opinion fieely, poor rentling habits and uncertain

about 3R skills", added Mr Janarthana. Low passes in UPSR are also

prevalent among those without Pre school experience.

The school is taking early intervention action to assist them adjusting

to the environment. Remedial classes are being conducted to help

academically weak students. They are placed in a group to be given

special coaching.

Other than that a special education class is being considered for Tamil

school students who have problems related to dyslexia. Dyslexia refers

to a child with the same or higher niental alertness than other normal

children but has problems in spelling, reading, writing or counting. Such

children need help through the use of special approaches, strategies and

teaching and learning activities, lamented Janarthana.

~ h o teaches pre school students said that when the

L m e to the class, they were shy and hyperactive. After

acing in the class, now they are more confident interacting #' ners and counterparts, could catch up in their studies and mix

1 well. She also said that many parents do not come over to school

.larly to enquire about the performance of their children. She believes

that a better relationship between the teachers and parents will enhance

the performance of the students.

Preschool has been an agent for developing relationships and extending

skills among young children. Children develop understanding in many

different ways but they learn best in an environment where they feel

safe, secure, confident and have opportunities for enjoyment. In order

to fulfill these, the Malaysian Education Ministry with the assistance of

social organizations and individuals should act fast to implement pre

school classes in all primary schools in the country so that no child is

left out in receiving pre school education.

Appeared in YSS wcbsltc on 26th Octoher 2005

POST PRIMARY EDUCATION


31

Towards Secondary School

Introduction

Students fro111 primary schools after experiencing 6 years of primary

education, will be attached to a new education system. They will also

face new challenges in secondary schools. Tamil school students, after

studying in a mono cultural environment will move to a multi cultural

environment. They are going to experience life differently as they will

have to interact with counterparts of other races. In this regard YSS is fully

committed to give guidance and orientation to Year Six students. YSS

conducted a half day programme called "Towards Secondary School"

for Year Six students from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

This programme was organised in collaboration with Kuala Lumpur and

Selangor Tamil School Head Masters' Council. 112 Tamil schools with

5000 students participated in this programme which was held from 15

October to 30 October 2002.

Objective

The objective of this programme was to prepare the Year Six students

mentally and psychologically so that they can face new challenges in

the secondary school with full confidence and self determination. The

Post Primary Education

challenges are multilingualism, multi racial environment, teacher-

student interaction, peer interaction, academic expectation, and so on.

YSS hoped to improve their motivation level through positive values

such as self respect, leadership qualities, self confidence etc.

Preparation

YSS held a meeting chaired by Dr. Denison Jayasooria to discuss this

programme with Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Tainil School Head Masters'

Council on 4 Oct 2002 at the YSS Conference Room. Kuala Lumpur Tamil

School Head Masters' Council president Mr. Muthusamy and Selangor

Tamil School Head Masters' Council president Mr. Varnamuthu said

that both councils will give full support and cooperation to make this

programme a success.

Mr Jayapalan, Coordinator of Kuala Lumpur Tamil Schools and Mr

Murugan, coordinator of Selangor Tamil School obtained the necessary

approval from the education department to legalize this programme.

All students who participated in this programme were given a file with

a brochure explaining as to how the students can face new challenges

in the secondary school environment. This brochure could be regarded

as a guideline for them in the secondary school.

Implementation

YSS personally ran this programme with the able assistance of facilitators

from NSTP for the Tamil School students in Kuala Lumpur (15 schools)

and Petaling District (10 schools). They will be monitored from Remove

Class till PMR by having a regular programme. Their perforiuance and

development throughout this period will be studied by an YSS officer.

In other districts in Selangor the Head Masters' Council conducted this

programme with the help of secondary school teachers from feeder

schools.


YSS funded this programme under the allocation of National Unity and

Community Development Ministry (2002/ 2003).

Conclusion

We hope that programme such as this will be beneficial to our Tamil

School children who really have the capabilities to realize excellence

in their lives if proper guidance and continuous support is given to

them.

Appeared in YSS website on 14th October 2002


A Preparatory Programme For Tamil School Leavers

Introduction

'Towards Secondary School,' a programme organized by YSS in

collaboration with Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Tamil Schools

Headmasters' Council started in SJK (T) Sg Rengam, Shah Alam. A

total of eighty-five Year Six students from the school attended this

programme.

Two teachers from NSTP in education (NIE) conducted a session called

Improving English language Proficiency. I observed that the students

were impressed with the way the two teachers conducted the session.

Firstly they were divided into 10 groups. Then they were given an

explanation on the importance of English by giving some examples.

After that the teachers recommended some ways to improve their skills

in both languages. One such recommendation was to read the newspaper

daily.

A newspaper was given to each group. Each group was given an

assignment titled "All About Us." The instructions were:

Find,


A word that describes your group

A language lesson based on food

A news item about something that happened in Singapore.

A TV programme you enjoy

A picture of your dream house

A picture of a cultural item

An ad of something you like

A picture that makes you happy/laugh

A story that makes you sad

Something that makes you angry

A picture of a famous sports person

An interesting and colourful picture wit11 a local theme

They had to cut these items out and paste them creatively on the mah-

jong paper. I found that the students actively and happily participated

in this activity. They produced a wonderful work. After this activity,

each student was given a piece of paper containing the lyrics of a song.

The teachers sang the song with the students. At the end of the session,

each student was given a newspaper.

I conducted the second session with the theme, 'Facing new challenges

in the secondary school'. I presented some points on this topic through

OHP slide presentation. Below is the summary of what was presented

to the students.

1. Facilities available in the secondary schools

2. The element of multi culturalism such as religion, belief, language,

attire, food,

3. Relationship with other races

4. Personality development/ personal appearance

5. Positive values


6. Subjects taught in the remove class and form one

7. The method of study

8. Type of extra co curricular activities.

9. Advantages of involving in extra co curricular activities.

Similar programmes were conducted with the help of teachers from

NSTP for another 30 schools in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling district

(see table below). YB Dato Veerasingam, Parliamentary Secretary to the

Ministry of National Unity and Social Development officially launched

this programme in Netaji Hall, Kuala Lumpur on 24 Oct 2002. In his

speech he said that the Year Six students must prepare themselves with

English language skills, as they will study Science and Mathematic in

that language from next year.

He added that basic knowledge of secondary school education system

would be helpful for a student to be better equipped in the system. He

also encouraged that such programmes be conducted for the Year Six

Tamil school students from other states. The Indian based organizations should come forward to conduct such programmes for the betterment

of our children.

Appeared in Y S S website on 28th October 2002

Development of Tamil School Education in Malavsia

Preparing Tamil School Students To Enter Secondary School

After six years of primary education, the students are setting their feet

into secondary school. The learning environment in the primary school

and secondary school would be different. In case of vernacular primary

school students, there will definitely be many more differences in the

secondary school. In the vernacular schools the students have been

educated through their mother tongue for six years. Furthermore they

have been studying in a mono-cultural milieu.

When the vernacular students enter into secondary school, in the

beginning they would face difficulties with the medium of instruction

and multiethnic group of students. Realizing this phenomena, Tamil

School Action Council along with Yayasan Strategik Sosial has come out

with a guidebook for Tamil school students who are going to secondary

school. This guidebook was prepared upon the request of YB Dato Seri

S. Samy Vellu and it is fully funded by the Maju Institute of Educational

Development (MIED).

A committee comprising 13 teachers and education officers wrote this

book. Mr Muthusamy from Malaysian Education Ministry was entrusted

to lead the committee. The committee members with full commitment

and dedication prepared the book that covered of all aspects of secondary

school education.


A ceremony to launch this book was held on 4 November 2004 at 2.00pm

in Netajii Hall, MIC Building, Kuala Lumpur. Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu

officially launched the book and gave them away to Year Six students

and headmasters from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Tamil Schools.

Students and headmasters from 112 Tamil schools in Kuala Lumpur

and Selangor along with Tamil school coordinators and invited MIC

representatives witnessed the launch.

Earlier, Dato Seri S. Samy in his speech said that it is the first time a

guidebook on secondary school life is prepared for post primary school

students especially those from Tamil schools. This book is written with

the objective of enabling the Tamil school students to adjust to the new

environment and also face new challenges that await them in secondary

schools. To print 16, 000 copies it cost MIED RM 20,000, added Dato

Seri.

Another important point raised by Dato Seri Samy Vellu in his speech

was that those entering secondary schools should have broader and

matured minds. There should not be problems when communicating

with multicultural students. They must understand each other's culture,

customs and living styles. These are important in achieving vision

2020.

Elaborating on unity, Samy Vellu mentioned that, in the vernacular

schools, students are taught the common subjects, which depict the

importance of unity and tolerance in a multiracial society. Although the

medium of instruction is different, the syllabus shares the common goal

in achieving a united society, added Dato Seri. "Further actions need to

be stepped up in strengthening relationship among our children so that

they will live harmoniously. I believe our current education system will

pave the way to realize it," said Dato Seri.


For Tamil school students in other states, the guidebooks will be

distributed through MIC State chairmen before the end of the school

holidays. The Tamil school coordinator in each state will make sure that

these books reach the students.

Appearell in Y S S website on 20th November 2004


The Contents of "Towards Secondary School" Guidebook

Mr Muthusamy, the chairman of the "Towards Secondary School"

guidebook committee, gave a review of the book at the book launch. He

elaborated on the five important aspects that are written in the book. They

are, environment in the secondary school, problems faced by students in

the secondary school and solutions, study methods and extra-curricular

activities, moral values and educational journey.

Environment in the secondary school

Mr Muthusamy said that there are students from multi-racial environment

in the secondary school. This would be the first time for Tamil school

students to study with them and mix around with them. Furthermore

the mediums of instruction are Malay and English.

He also said that there would be additional teaching and learning

facilities and also sports facilities in the secondary schools.

Problems faced by students and solution

Some problems usually faced by the students are stated under this topic.

They are, weakness in Malay and English, fear of secondary school

education, difficulty in communicating with other races, less involvement

in extra curricular activities and difficulty in understanding certain


subjects. Such students are advised to always mingle with students of

other races, understand the secondary school system properly, always

respect and follow the advice of the teachers, be active in extra-curricular

activities and discuss with friends or teachers about the subjects.

He said that the problems faced by students at home also lead to other

problems in school. If there are conflicts among parents at home, the

children also will be affected by the conflicts. Other than that some

students might face financial problems in the secondary school. As a

solution, the affected students are advised to seek assistance from their

respective schools, as there are provisions for some assistance to the

needy students through schools.

The students are also asked not to befriend with bad or problematic

students as it will lead them to involve in undesirable activities such as

theft, robbery, fights and drug abuse. Instead, the students should mix

with good students who can help them in education.

Study methods and extra curricular activities

The writers of the book have suggested some approaches for the students

to follow in order to study well. The students are asked to always

concentrate on what are taught by the teachers, discuss with teachers

or friends, complete home work, acquire reading habit, prepare short

notes, and always refer to the dictionary in order to improve language

proficiency.

There are many extra curricular activities in the secondary school such

as Malay Language Society, Cadet, Football Club, Badminton Club and

so on. It is important for students to be active in the activities so that it is

easy to get a job in future, enrich general knowledge, increase proficiency

in Malay and English, enhance self confidence level, get accustomed to

healthy life styles and learn leadership values.


Moral Values

All can live well if our mind is controlled and positive values are

practiced. Meditation, following teachers advice, getting involved

in fruitful activities, practicing self-control, enhancing potential and

studying well are some of the values illustrated in the guide book.

Other than that, the students are encouraged not to waste time. They

can do home work, do revision and play games during leisure time. At

the same time the students are also advised not to waste their energy

by gossiping, getting angry with others for no reason, chattering away

unnecessarily and having a couldn't-care-less attitude.

Educational Journey

Under this topic the structure of the Malaysian educational system is

explained in order to show the students and parents the broader picture

of educational opportunities available. One starts his/ her education from

kindergarten but not all complete tertiary education although there are

many opportunities. In this regard the students are given a clear picture

of the level of education and the opportunities.

In general Mr Muthusamy and his committee members believe that this

guidebook will instill confidence in Tamil school students to further their

secondary education successfully but they also need continued support

from their parents to make their educational journey smooth.

Appeaved in YSS website on 20th Noz~ember 2004


Some Tips For Tamil School Students

A group of 35 students and 6 teachers from SJK (T) Prai, Pulau Pinang

visited YSS on the 25th of September 2004 at 12.00pm. A majority of them

were Year Six students who had just sat for their UPSR examination.

They were on a two-day educational tour in Kuala Lumpur.

Before they came to YSS, the group visited the Kuala Lumpur

International Airport in Sepang. When asked, the students said that it was

the first time all of them went to an airport and it was an unforgettable

experience for them. One of the students said that he was very delighted

to see the aircraft just in front of him. He knows that one day he will

embark on the aircraft.

From there, the students and teachers visited YSS to learn more about

educational opportunities and prospects that are available for primary

students especially Year Six students.

I was very glad for the opportunity to talk to the students. I found that

most of them were from low income families who did not have enough

support from their parents in order to excel in their studies. This is

consistent with my earlier studies and observations.

During the briefing session, I addressed one of the important challenges

that the Year Six students would face in their secondary school the

following year. I told them that many Tamil school students especially

those who were weak in Malay would find it difficult to communicate

or interact with the Malay and Chinese students.

The reason being that Tamil school students who have been schooling

in the monoculture milieu for six years, only spoke in Tamil with their

counterparts. Therefore when they move to secondary schools where

there are multicultural milieus, they will struggle to speak in Malay with

their non-Indian classmates or friends.

In this matter, I gave them 2 pieces of advice. Firstly, the Year Six students

who are weak or do not have the confidence to speak in Malay should put

extra effort to learn it during the long school holidays. They can attend

special Malay tuition classes, read newspapers, make it a point to always

refer to the dictionary, listen to news in Malay and read story books.

The second thing the students should do is, always mix with the.Malay

or Chinese students as this is one of the ways to improve proficiency in

the Malay language in a short period of time. I advised the students not

to be embarrassed whenever they made a mistake while speaking in

Malay. This will help the students improve their proficiency in Malay.

By interacting with non Indian students, the Tamil school students will

also learn about their culture and customs thus creating unity amongst

them. The students need to learn how to survive in the dominant group

as well.

The Year Six students were also briefed that they can apply to MRSM if

they score 7As in the UPSR exam. MRSM is a junior college specifically


set up for top achievers in the UPSR and PMR exams. It was opened

to non-Bumiputra students two years back as a move to integrate the

students of multiracial backgrounds.

I mentioned to the Year Five students who were also in the tour group

that MIC gave awards to 7As achievers in the UPSR every year. The 7As

achievers are given RM500 and a trophy each. I urged and encouraged

the students to study hard to score 7As in the UPSR next year so that they

would be able to receive the award from Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu.

Mr Thambirajah who was accompanying the students along with five

other teachers, said that this form of educational tours would sharpen

students' minds thus deepening their knowledge on places that they

visit. According to him, the group would be visiting the KL Twin Towers,

Putra Jaya and then take a ride on the LRT train before returning to

Penang the next day.

From another aspect, in my conversation with Mr Thambirajah during

lunch, he said that students in his school gained from learning Mathematics

and Science in English. Although a majority of the students come from

Tamil speaking families, they were able to absorb the knowledge in both

subjects through English. He added that he could not see any difference

when Mathematics and Science was taught in Tamil two years ago and

now in English. If the students are guided systematically, they will be

able to achieve high levels of performance.

Appeared in YSS website on 5th October 2004

About The Author

M anikam Krishnan is currently the Director, "Learning

Policy Research in Yayasan Strategik Sosial English througlz

(YSS). He has been working in YSS since 2000. Tamil" hook

He joined YSS as a research officer and then he launch.

was promoted to be an Assistant Director and

subsequently to be Director.

He is highly committed to Tamil school education.

His primary task is to undertake research on Tamil

school education focusing on the issues and concerns

of Tamil schools. He has written many reports and

proposals on issues and concerns of Tamil schools,

which were submitted to the Government especially

to the Malaysian Education Ministry through Dato

Seri S. Samy Vellu, President of Malaysian Indian

Congress (MIC) and former Works Minister.


Besides, he was also responsible in coordinating

several programmes pertaining to the development

of Tamil schools such as Tamil School Headmasters'

Symposium, Students Enrichment Camps and

Motivational programmes were some of the

programmes. Furthermore, he has had the opportunity

to visit many Tamil schools in the country and it has

given him an indepth knowledge and understanding

of Tamil schools. Some of his articles on Tarnil schools

were published in Tamil Nesan Daily for 30 weeks

highlighting the background, struggles, performance

and Infrastructure development of 30 well built Tamil

schools.

In addition to that, he also undertook various

researches pertaining to Indian issues. He has written

reports and proposals concerning Estate Workers'

Housing Scheme/Basic Infrastructure, Squatters,

Temples, Higher Education, Skill Trainings and

Employment.

Y

oisit

ozltlg. leaders

to Austrnlin

Other than his commitment to Tamil schools and research work, his passion led him to write three books. The first book was entitled "Learning English

Through Tamil" (Level One) and the second one was "Learning English Through Tamil" (Level

Two). These two books were published in 2003 and distributed to Tamil school students in order to assist

them improve their proficiency level in English.

The third book entitled "Indian Organizations, Malaysia" was published in 2007. This is a comprehensive database of 90 Indian based organizations in Malaysia which covers a range of multifarious activities in the fields of social welfare, community development, educational aids, religion

and spirituality, arts, language, literature, women development programmes, sports, martial arts and cooperative societies.

Manikam Krishnan received his primary education at SJK(T) Pundut, Sitiawan. He graduated in Social

Administration from University of Malaya.


During his service in YSS, he was given opportunities

to participate in the forums/serninars/conferences

held both at local and international level. He

participated in the Educational Dialogue Forum

in Germany in 2003 which was organised by the

Friedrich Naumann Foundation. He also presented a

paper on Vernacular Education in Malaysia at Centre

for Indian Diapora Studies, Hyderabad University,

lndia in 2005. In 2007, he participated in the Young

Leaders Programme organized by Australia-Malaysia

lnstitute in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

He believes that his current book, "Development of

Tamil School Education in Malaysia, An Analysis

of Achievements and Challenges" (2008) would

showcase the existence and development of Tamil

schools in this country.

Manikam Krishnan

1 ?zSE&%$dation

Development of Tamil School Education in Malaysia, An AnaEyus of Achievements and Challenges clearly provides a historical ow~ iew , an accurate assessment of the current issues, trends, concerns including foture challenges, possibilities and opportunities. This book is a compilation of 35 short articles written for i%e M c i r h K m n h h

YSS website ( ~~~ .yss98 .com) highly committed Po T .

between 2002 and 2008. ~ ~ t i a n . H e h a s b e e n ikxkingwy and ad&ywi#, 7apdKttold ot%uMb. in prqaur"ng v a h a re$&i&anddr#m c~ceming TamJlxhaok. 4

ISBN 971-913-43309-9-1

915_dev of Tamil Sch Edu in Msia

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