[Opening comments in Tamil.]

2.                  My commendations to the Taman Jurong Indian Activity Executive Committee (IAEC) for working hard over the past 27 years to promote the use of Tamil Language in the Jurong community, while developing Indian arts and culture at the same time.  Their programmes involve everyone, the young and the old.  Schools which are not within the area are also invited to participate in the IAEC’s activities such as its oratorical, poetry and debating competitions.  This year, we see an increase in the number of primary school pupils taking part in the festival: about 300 primary school pupils took part, compared to about 200 a year ago.

3.                    Community based initiatives like these are essential in promoting TL among our young. I am glad that the recently concluded Tamil Language Festival attracted overwhelming response and enthusiasm from the Tamil Community. Parents, students and teachers showed keen interest and made the Festival a meaningful and memorable event. The huge turnout of about 4,000 people at the Narpani Family Day last weekend was an indication of the community’s support. The Festival was an initiative of the Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee (TLLPC) in partnership with the Tamil Language Council (TLC), and they worked closely with 12 Tamil organisations in staging various Tamil events to generate an awareness of and interest in TL.  My congratulations to all of them for the tremendous effort they put it, and the support they garnered from across the community.

4.                  Other than the festival, TLLPC has also been spearheading a lot of fun-filled activities this year to promote the use of the language amongst the Tamil-speaking community.  Many of the programmes and events target our school children and aim to garner support for the use of Spoken Tamil in homes and schools.  Activities such as drama and script writing workshops, and stints at radio station Oli 96.8FM, provide a diverse range of creative opportunities for our students to use the language in different contexts. TLLPC has been partnering Tamil community organisations and stakeholders in organising and funding various events.

Tamil Language Syllabus 2007

5.                  In parallel with these community-wide efforts, MOE has also launched the revised TL syllabus in March 2007.  In the new TL curriculum, greater emphasis is placed on listening, speaking and reading skills, to provide pupils with a firm foundation in the language.  This is particularly so in the early years, where we have lessened the emphasis being placed on writing skills.

6.                  Spoken Tamil will be the main medium of communication in TL classrooms, as one of the key ways we enthuse TL pupils to use Tamil not only through their school years but beyond.  To enable pupils to use Tamil confidently in their daily interactions, 60 per cent of the new TL curriculum at Primary One and Two is being  allocated to developing children’s oral skills through Spoken Tamil.

7.                  Our teachers have welcomed the new curriculum. For example, they find it much better that they now have two years to teach the Tamil alphabet, instead of slightly more than a year previously.  This allows them to integrate simple oral vocabulary, rhymes and language games into the learning of Tamil alphabets.  

Developing the Reading Habit and Enjoying It

8.                  Besides our focus on oral skills, we are also placing greater emphasis on developing the reading habit among our children. Reading has a multiplier effect on language acquisition and learning.  It opens up another window for a child to explore the world and to enjoy learning the language. It also reinforces what has been learnt through listening and speaking, as well as a child’s writing skills.

9.                  MOE is currently developing “small readers” for the various levels. To inculcate good reading habits and promote independent reading amongst pupils, MOE will prototype a structured reading programme for Pri 3 to Pri 4 pupils to further enthuse them in learning TL. This emphasis on reading in Pri 3- Pri 4 is a natural progression from the emphasis on oral skills at Pri 1 and Pri 2.  

10.              A total of 50 primary schools will prototype the structured reading programme from the second semester this year. MOE has obtained sixteen titles of interesting,  age-appropriate readers, mainly from Tamil Nadu, for this programme. These titles will enhance the range of readers that our young pupils can find interesting.

11.             The schools will also organise interesting follow-up activities so that the pupils can share  their reading journey. These activities, integrating the use of Spoken Tamil, could include show and tell, role play and drama.

12.             MOE will conduct training on reading strategies such as “Shared Book Approach” for Primary School TL teachers next month.  

13.             The revised TL curriculum, with its emphasis on speaking Spoken Tamil and on reading, is the best way we can give our children the confidence to use the language, and the interest  to want to learn more as they get older.

14.              There will always be a question about whether the standard of the language taught in schools is being lowered. That is not however the important question. What we must really ask ourselves is not how much TL vocabulary our children master by Pri 6 or Sec 4, for example, but whether our children have a genuine interest and love for the language when they leave school. Do they want to learn more, do they use the language freely, and will they use it freely after they leave school? That is, as well all know, what really matters in keeping TL alive.

15.             This is why we have now created more space, especially in the early years, for teachers to devise their own activities, and for pupils to build up the confidence and interest in speaking the language. More fun-filled activities and interaction in TL classrooms that would make the teaching and learning of Tamil enjoyable and rewarding to every student.

Conclusion

16.             With everyone – parents, teachers and community organisations – working together, in a concerted effort to promote TL, I am confident that we can keep TL alive and relevant among our young.  This evening’s event is one of the many ways we are doing this, and I applaud everyone present here for your support.