Tamil schools: Do we care?

Or is it just an issue to keep political careers alive?

COMMENT

By Hanuratha Thamilselvan

The number of students registered for Standard One in Tamil schools has dropped by 23% this year. This is alarming, considering the millions of ringgit the government is spending to upgrade the 523 Tamil schools in the country.

Several questions arise. Why is the Tamil community moving away from vernacular schools? Do parents in the community believe that national schools are better for their children? Is it worth spending those millions on a school system that is seeing a drop in enrolment? Could the money be put to better use to benefit Malaysian Indians? Does the community really care for Tamil schools?

Politicians and academicians may go on arguing and questioning one another’s sincerity in fighting to improve the lot of Tamil schools.

“He is not Tamil educated; so he does not really care about Tamil schools.” “How many of his children are in Tamil schools?” These are typical of the remarks we often here in the rhetoric about Tamil education, especially among politicians.

But nobody seems interested in addressing the core issues that besiege Tamil schools.

I am a Master’s degree holder who went to a small Tamil school in the sleepy town of Batang Berjuntai (now Bestari Jaya), and I am familiar with the real issues surrounding these vernacular schools.

Last year, there were 18,100 students in Tamil schools nationwide. The number has plunged to 13,889 this year. If the enrolment continues to decline, shouldn’t we expect the number of schools to decrease? How would the community, especially politicians, justify keeping the 523 Tamil schools going?

There are various reasons for the decline in enrolment, including the following: a falling birth rate, a mismatch between population concentrations and the location of schools, a changing mindset among parents, and a frozen mindset among teachers and school officials.

Smaller families

Malaysia is home to the largest number of Indians living outside India, but the number is dropping. Ten years ago, when the national population was 20 million, Indians accounted for 8%. Today, they represent 7.1% of the country’s 28 million people.

Families are becoming smaller. Couples prefer to limit themselves to one or two children for economic reasons. Late marriages and a rising divorce rate add to the problem.

Of the 1.8 million Indians in this country, 70% are Tamils, with Malayalees, Telegus and Punjabis making up most of the remainder. The latter three groups prefer to send their children to national schools. They too want their mother tongues preserved, but they do this by speaking those languages at home.

Most of the Tamil schools are located in estates and small townships. Although many Indians are migrating from rural to urban areas in search of employment, there has been no effort to relocate Tamil schools. Because of this, urban parents are forced to send their children to national schools. This partly explains the single-student registration at some Tamil schools this year.

Many parents, especially young professionals, are not keen in sending their children to Tamil schools. Like the Indians of other language groups, they believe that their mother tongue can be learnt at home. They want their children to mix with children of other races, and are encouraged by the emergence of affordable private and international schools. Furthermore, they feel these schools have better facilities.

Those who can’t afford private or international schools make a beeline for Chinese or national schools. They feel their children would be better off competing with children of other races.

It is well known that the majority of Tamil schools are in bad physical condition. But even if they are refurbished and refurnished using government funds, the new facilities are not put to optimal use because the mindset of teachers, headmasters and parent teacher associations has not changed.

I know of a school in an urban location which had its computer labs closed because “it cost too much in electricity” to keep it open.

This mentality must change. Teachers and headmasters must be professional not only in their job functions, but also in appearance and behaviour. This will give parents the confidence that their children are at the right school.

What next?

It is possible to maintain the existence of Tamil schools, although I am sure that only 200 will survive in the next 10 years based on the current trend of decline in enrolment.

All parties must cease politicising the issue. Politicians should find ways to improve Tamil schools instead of running each other down when issuing their statements. And instead of asking the government to improve the condition of Tamil schools, they should find ways to increase student intake.

Bragging about giving each Tamil school a photocopier is a pathetic form of public relations. Modernise Tamil schools by making a quantum leap. Have a model Tamil school with state-of-the-art teaching equipment and then tell the government this is what a Tamil school should be like.

This quantum leap should also apply to the character of teachers and headmasters. They should equip themselves with knowledge. They should improve their people skills. They should not treat parents as illiterates but build rapport with them.

These are just some pointers on ways and means to increase enrolment in Tamil schools. I am sure there are many qualified people out there who have better ideas and understanding of the subject at hand. The time has come for the community to bite the bullet and face reality.

If there is going to be a decrease in Tamil schools, let it be, but ensure that the surviving schools function like Chinese schools, if not better.

The writer is a Master’s degree holder who completed her primary school at the Batang Berjuntai Tamil school and currently works as a public relations manager at a reputable firm in Kuala Lumpur.