13 October 2002

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY & EDUCATION, AT THE TAMIL MURASU MOST INSPIRING TAMIL TEACHER AWARD 2002 ON SUNDAY, 13 OCTOBER 2002 AT 3.15 PM

Dr Vijeya Ratnam, Chairman, Tamil Murasu
Dr Chitra Rajaram, Chief Editor Tamil Murasu
Community Leaders
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good afternoon.

1 It gives me great pleasure to be with you this afternoon, as we honour and recognize the hard work, commitment and dedication of a very special group of people, our Tamil Language teachers.

2 Our bilingual policy in education remains a key social and economic imperative for Singapore, as relevant now as it has been in the last few decades. Proficiency in the English language has given Singaporeans a key advantage in a globalised economy. It gives us relevance to global companies and keeps us at the intersections of global trade and investment. It creates good jobs for Singaporeans, now and in the future.

3 Studying the Mother Tongue helps our students to imbibe values and to appreciate the accumulated knowledge and wisdom contained in our cultural heritage. As bilingual learners, children are provided with more than one set of lens, enabling them to perceive the world and encoding their experiences in different ways. It allows them to reach a deeper understanding of their own identity, and a sense of belonging to community and country. This sense of identity helps our young to develop confidence within a multi-cultural society, and in facing an astounding array of images and influences from across the globe.

4 It would however be mistaken to think that English is only learnt for economic advantage and the mother tongues for social identity. Both English and the mother tongues provide multiple advantages, in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. The currency of the English language does not rest only on its being the pragmatic language of economic development. English serves as a common language for us to communicate with each other across ethnic boundaries, and brings the different communities and races closer together in Singapore in the common spaces that we share. Proficiency in English also allows us to access the rich cultures of other societies. Reading the history and literature from different parts of the world, for example, affords valuable insights into the texture and meaning of human experience. And in using English to directly communicate and convey our views, values and way of life to others around the world, we develop a stronger appreciation of our own people and pride in our own cultures.

5 Similarly, the Mother-Tongue languages do not have value only because they help transmit and renew our cultural heritage. The Mother-Tongue languages in Singapore are gaining in economic value. The major growth opportunities in Asia lie increasingly in China and India. ASEAN, too, will continue to provide many opportunities and grow. Across Asia, dense networks of communication, investment and trade are being formed, with an increasing frequency of interaction amongst peoples in the region. Our multiple language capabilities position us well in these emerging networks, as individuals and as a country. They open doors to business, and give us an economic advantage in ways that will grow over time.

6 We must use our strengths in the mother tongue to spread our economic wings. We must therefore continue to preserve bilingualism: our ability to communicate well in both English and the Mother Tongue.

7 We must make available to our young, who are the future guardians of the Tamil language, the support and resources within our community for learning the Tamil Language.

8 In our schools, our syllabuses and teaching methods must continue to evolve, to ensure the effectiveness of the bilingual policy in a changing social environment. As part of continued efforts to improve the teaching and learning of Tamil Language in our schools, the Ministry of Education has completed revising the Tamil Language syllabuses and is re-writing the Tamil Language textbooks based on the revised syllabuses. This is in line with recommendations of the Tamil Language Review Committee in 2000. The Ministry has also taken steps to broaden the base of pupils who learn both English and the Mother Tongue as first languages, by allowing and encouraging more pupils to offer Higher Mother Tongue at the primary and secondary levels. I hope this will help to nurture a Tamil Language cultural elite, who have a good command of Tamil Language and are steeped in Tamil literature and culture. It will strengthen the base of future Tamil Language teachers, journalists, writers, and community leaders and deepen the pools of expertise in Tamil culture.

9 We have also enhanced the infrastructure necessary to reinforce what our students learn in the classrooms. The Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre (UPTLC) has been equipped with up-to-date facilities for Tamil Language instruction, including a dance studio and a music room for language and cultural activities.

10 However, the up-to-date curriculum and infrastructure set up to support the learning of the language would only be effective at the hands of the skillful teacher. It is the teacher who breathes life into the language and helps pupils to use it to grow, and to discover their world and themselves.

11 The Most Inspiring Tamil Teacher Awards today recognize these teachers who have touched the hearts of their pupils and peers, gone the extra mile, and through their own passion, inspired a love for the language amongst their pupils. Their care and concern have provided direction for their pupils. They have enriched the lives of their pupils, through teaching the Language. In their own different ways, these teachers have embodied and exemplified the values of thinking positively and constant learning, and imparted these values to their pupils.

12 Even as we honour the teachers today, we must recognize that other members of the community also influence the way that Tamil Language is promoted and developed in our society. I am glad to note that various organizations have shown good support in promoting the Tamil Language and culture. One such example is Tamil Murasu. Over the years, it has made learning resources easily accessible, and exposed young readers to simple Tamil, bilingual pieces, poems, and Manavar Murasu. Through this process, Tamil Murasu helps to inculcate in our young people the love for, and confidence in the language, and is a valuable partner in the teaching and learning of Tamil.

13 The Tamil Murasu Most Inspiring Teacher Awards today signal the important role that Tamil Language teachers play in Singapore, in ensuring the progressive development of our Tamil heritage and culture. I would like to thank Tamil Murasu for having taken this initiative.

14 The value that our Tamil Language teachers add to the lives of their pupils, as they share their love for the language and the culture is unquantifiable. I would like to thank all our Tamil Language teachers, for shaping successive generations of Tamil speakers in Singapore, and for nurturing in their pupils healthy and positive attitudes that will be of lifelong relevance.