Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manifesto NUSTLS Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manif | Page 41

Issue 6: Sustainability of Tamil
Post-Panel Discussion
What can be done to the school curriculum to ensure the sustainability of Tamil in
Singapore?
Recommendation 1: Adopt a modified model for the grading system in Education system
• Primary School Level: Teachers should give equal importance to the other non-written
activities like drama not just grades for primary school students → Similar to the concept
of Project Work in Junior College. Primary school students to organise their very own
drama for example and grade them based on that. (Can be applicable to other things like
poetry recitation, storytelling, etc.)
• National Library Board could organize programs in primary schools like storytelling, Show
and Tell, skit, etc. Competitions could be held for kids in these aspects. These will help to
cultivate a love and passion for Tamil Language among students rather than cultivating in
them a mere sense of ‘duty’ forced upon them to complete the syllabus and ace exams
for grades. Such programmes will also help to improve students’ spoken Tamil.
• Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre could organise zonal camps (targeting schools one
zone at a time) for primary school students, to engage them actively in games, workshops
and motivational talks. They should be conducted in Tamil, so that students can develop a
greater sense of passion towards the Tamil Language and culture. It would also act as a
platform for students to converse in Tamil with fellow Tamil peers, and hence practice
their spoken Tamil better.
• Tertiary School Level: Introduce a language based project as part of Singapore Studies
modules in polytechnics and universities.
• Change education system to such that until students finishes education in University, they
have to take Tamil as their Mother Tongue. It could be just a single compulsory module.
This will help to do away with the current prevalent mind-set of doing Higher Tamil in
secondary school so as to not take it during tertiary education.
• Higher Tamil can be taught in General Paper style by bringing current affairs into the
curriculum.
Issue 6: Sustainability of Tamil
PAGE 41