Speech by Professor S Jayakumar, Minister for Law and Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the Official Opening of the Upgraded Premises of Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre (3 Aug 2001)

SPEECH BY PROFESSOR S JAYAKUMAR, MINISTER FOR LAW AND MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE UPGRADED PREMISES OF UMAR PULAVAR TAMIL LANGUAGE CENTRE, 3 AUGUST 2001, 6 PM

Mr Wee Heng Tin, Director General of Education,

Mr Abdul Kassim, Supervisor, Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

1 I am happy to be here at the opening of the upgraded premises of Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre. The Centre has played an important part in the provision of Tamil Language instruction to students from secondary schools which do not offer the Tamil Language.

2 Language is a powerful tool for the communication of ideas and feelings. Language learning is crucial to the development of an individual. Words, as we all know, can either heal or kill, inspire or destroy a human heart. As the great Tamil poet, Thiruvalluvar, so eloquently said,

"The hurt, caused by a fire, will heal within,
But not the scar left by the tongue"

3 Learning two languages, Tamil and English, will give our children access into two different cultural worlds. English, as our common working language, gives all students access into the world of commerce, science and technology, while their mother tongue language gives them direct access to their cultural heritage and helps them retain their cultural roots and identity. Their mother tongue gives them a world-view that complements the perspective of the English-speaking world. It acts as a cultural ballast that will enable them to face adversity and challenges with fortitude. Our objective is to have every Singaporean student study his mother tongue language for as long as possible and to as high a level as he is capable of.

4 As one of our four official languages, Tamil has a special place in Singapore. It plays a key role in the transmission of Indian culture and values. We have, however, noticed a trend of more and more Indian students coming from English speaking homes. In 1988, 44% of Primary 1 pupils came from families where English was the main language of communication. In 2000, this figure increased to 56%. This is a much higher proportion in comparison to the figures for the other communities. This poses greater challenges in motivating our students to learn Tamil and to learn it well.

5 In 1998, MOE set up a Tamil Language Review Committee to review the teaching and learning of Tamil language in schools. The Committee received valuable feedback and input from the Indian community, including the Indian MPs. The recommendations of the Tamil Language Review Committee were announced in February 2000 and I am glad that the Ministry of Education has completed implementing most of the recommendations as scheduled.

6 One of the most important aspects of the Committee's recommendations was to recast the curriculum, especially to relate it to the Singapore context. MOE has commenced work on the new textbooks. I commend the Ministry for these efforts and look forward to the smooth integration of the new textbooks in our schools over the next few years.

7 Another important area examined by the Review Committee was the provision of Tamil Language instruction in primary and secondary schools. The Ministry strives to provide as high a level of accessibility to Tamil Language instruction as it can, within the Tamil Language teaching resources available. Currently about 78% of all primary schools offer instruction in Tamil and these schools are well distributed geographically. All primary school children study Tamil in their own schools. At the secondary level, about 44% of all secondary schools offer Tamil instruction. These schools are also well distributed in terms of geographical location and academic standing. About 87% of Tamil Language students are enrolled in schools that provide instruction in the language. The other 13% attend Tamil lessons outside curriculum time at the Tamil Language centres.

8 I am also happy that the Ministry has opened 3 additional new Tamil Language centers. The 3 centres are at Sembawang Secondary School, Seng Kang Secondary School and Teck Whye Secondary School. With these new Tamil Language centres, the number of Tamil Language centres has now increased from 6 to a total of 9, including the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre. Setting up these new centres has benefited many more Tamil Language students as it has reduced the time it takes them to travel to the centres.

9 The Indian MPs will continue to work with MOE to give feedback on how to identify areas for further improvement.

10 Like other communities, there is a need for the Indian community to nurture a group of individuals who are steeped in their own culture, history and literature to serve as our future Tamil Language teachers, writers, journalists and community and political leaders. The Ministry of Education has therefore introduced various measures to encourage more students who have the linguistic ability in Tamil to offer Higher Tamil. This has seen encouraging results. To complement these measures and to provide greater support for the teaching and learning of Tamil, the Ministry of Education has completed the upgrading of Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre at the cost of more than 2 million dollars. The Centre has been provided with up-to-date facilities and additional resources for the more effective teaching and learning of Tamil. Umar Pulavar's buildings and physical facilities have also been upgraded to provide an environment that is conducive to the learning of Tamil Language and the appreciation of Indian culture.

11 With the upgraded facilities, Umar Pulavar now assumes the role of a national Tamil Language resource centre that offers strong support for the teaching and learning of Tamil. As a national Tamil Language resource centre, Umar Pulavar's facilities now include a Media Resource Library, an IT Laboratory and well-equipped Seminar Rooms. All Tamil Language teachers and students will have access to these facilities and resources.

12 The transmission of culture is a key objective of mother tongue language teaching. To support this, the Centre has been provided with a new dance studio and a music room. I have been told that classes in Indian dance and an Indian orchestra are going to be part of the Co-curricular Activities (CCAs) conducted for students of the Centre. Students from other schools who are interested in participating in these activities are also welcome to join in. Tamil Language students now have more opportunities to participate in Indian cultural activities.

13 Our Tamil Language teachers have done an admirable job of teaching our students to master their mother tongue and to appreciate their cultural heritage. I am sure that the enhanced facilities and support that are now available will enable our teachers to do even better in teaching our children. The changes which have been made recently pose a challenge to the teachers but I have no doubt that they will fully imbibe the spirit of the changes so as to effectively implement them.

14 Finally, I would like to congratulate the Supervisor, the staff and the students of Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre for making today's event a success. I would also like to thank the Ministry of Education and the Indian community for all the good work done for Tamil language education.

15 I now have great pleasure in declaring open the upgraded premises of Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre.