I urge all Tamil parents who have children in Secondary Schools
to write in to the Forum Page if you have a similar experience like
us.
In 1973 I was posted to Jurong Integrated
Secondary School.
Back then, there were no Tamil classes conducted in the
school.
Students had to travel by bus from Old Jurong road to Whitley
secondary
at Dunearn road to attend Tamil lessons either after or before
school
depending on whether one is in the morning or afternoon
session.
Stress aside, I always slept during lessons out of sheer
tiredness.
Sad to say, many of my classmates as well as myself, did not do
well in Tamil.
During normal school hours, while all of the Chinese and Malay
students
were having their second language sessions, Tamil students will
have to
laze around the fields or tuck shops without any supervision.
We just took it in stride as Singapore was different in
the old days.
We were undeveloped and lacked resources in many areas.
40 years forward, it's 2013 and my daughter is posted to Regent
Secondary school.
Imagine my shock when she came home to announce that she is
required to travel
to Teck Whye secondary for her Tamil lessons after
school. Regent secondary only
have classes for students from secondary 2 onwards. None for
secondary one students.
Same as before, they have to remain in school while the other races
are
having their mother-tongue lessons. Simply laze around without any
supervision.
We parents find this an utter waste of time and
resources.
Not to mention the additional stress of having to travel to and
fro.
Despite all the progress and improvements to our country as well as
our education system,
during the last 40 years, one thing still remains the same.
Tamil students are expected to excel over their peers, but where is
the support from the ministry?
There is no shortage of Tamil teachers in Singapore, given that the
ministry now has, not only a talent pool
of local graduate teachers, but also many foreign teachers from
India, of whom many have already been awarded PR status.
We parents also believe that there's no lack of Tamil
students to form a cohort.
Parents like us feel that Tamil, being one of the four
official languages in Singapore is being discriminated.
After 40 years of nation building, where is the progress for Tamil
students?
Are our schools so poorly funded or equipped that we cannot
even arrange classes for Tamil students in their own
school.
Who is responsible for these arrangements? The school or the
Ministry?