Letter to Editor
SHORTAGE of pupils is one of the issues plaguing Tamil schools in the country. Although over the last 15 years Tamil schools have begun to perform better with Year One enrolment for this year having hit over 13,000 pupils, Tamil school admissions are still on a downtrend.
As of last year, it is learned that 166 Tamil schools in the country operated with less than 30 pupils. Of these schools, 26 have less than 10 pupils.
With Tamil school enrolments on the decline – and several schools facing the threat of closure – Tamil-based NGOs (non-governmental organisations) in the country must play effective role to address the issue.
What is the support system available for the very low Tamil school enrolments?
Don’t leave Tamil schools in the hands of MIC alone. The party has been playing very important role in uplifting the standard of Tamil primary schools in Malaysia.
There is a need for immediate intervention by the Education Ministry (MOE), too. Nothing is new about pupils of the SJK (Tamil) Ladang Jeram along the Jalan Kuantan bypass road using containers as their classroom for almost 34 years.
The construction of their new school building in the vicinity was never completed despite a budget being allocated by the MOE in 2016.
In the last one or two decades, the reduction in the number of Tamil schools has become a major concern of the Indian community. During the colonial and post-colonial days, the majority of Tamil schools were located in plantations or estates.
With commercialisation and urbanisation, estate lands have been sold for development. As a result, the Indian population which was once predominantly located in estates has moved to urban and semi-urban areas.
If these estate schools cannot be continued, there must be a parallel move to transfer licences of these schools which are facing closure to re-establish new schools where there is a large population of Indians, hence a demand for vernacular education.
In stating that schools with fewer than 15 students should be discontinued, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said last year that the government should be realistic in its strategy when it comes to repairing and expanding Tamil schools.
Furthermore, sending children to Tamil schools must be a choice for parents instead of it being a sentiment-based decision. – March 17, 2024
M. Vivekananthan has served the Malaysian government at various ministries and agencies for 30 years.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: Varnam MY
