Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manifesto NUSTLS Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manif | Page 5

Key recommendations
Leadership
Recommendation 1: Create an online platform to surface issues pertaining to the Indian
Community
• Create a Facebook page in which members of the public can voice their concerns. Page
administrators from an authorised Indian organisation (SINDA, Narpani, etc.) will be
tasked with posting selected feedbacks on a separate website made available for the
community and government leadership.
Recommendation 2: Tamil events included as part of Community Involvement Programmes
(CIP) in Schools
• Community Involvement Programmes could have Tamil related activities. This would help
to shape an individual’s interests from young and allow them to understand the issues
faced by our Singaporean Tamil community.
Recommendation 3: Organising forums with Community Leaders in Schools
• Talents are identified very early and hence, late bloomers are not given the same
opportunity. Tamil community leaders could eliminate such exclusiveness and reach out
to all the Tamil students. These forums would help to bridge the generational gap
between youths and the leaders as well.
Recommendation 4: More recognition for Tamil or Indian Society Leadership
• One of the reasons for capable students not taking up the Tamil or Indian society
leadership is due to the lack of recognition and value it adds to their portfolio. During
University interviews, the same recognition is not given as a mainstream leadership
appointment. E.g. TLS President vs. Student Council member.
• There can be an award presentation by a credible organisation like SINDA (Singapore
Excellence Awards) or Tamil Representative Council which would serve as a form of
recognition for the effort put in by the students.
Education
Recommendation 1: Adopt a modified model for the grading system in Education system
• For Primary and Secondary school level: Drama, poetry recitation, storytelling, etc. can be
included as part of the grade assessment.
• Tertiary School Level: Introduce a language based project as part of Singapore Studies
modules in polytechnics and universities. Higher Tamil can be taught in General Paper
style by bringing current affairs into the curriculum.
Recommendation 2: Changes in Tamil Teaching Pedagogy
• Living in a multilingual society, translation exercises and assessment would aid in bridging
the gap between English and Tamil.
• There should be more discussions on general themes taught in other subjects (Science,
Geography, History, etc.) with resources at ready disposal to teach these issues.
Discussion on mainstream issues would provide an incentive for students to talk in Tamil.
Recommendation 3: Improve branding of Tamil module in Universities
• Examples of successful Tamil Studies graduates could be widely publicised to increase
awareness and promote Tamil studies in Universities. At the same time, there can be
publicity to increase awareness on the job opportunities in Tamil language related fields.
• For BA Literature, instead of focusing on the content, focus on the soft skills instead. This
would make the graduates more employable, encouraging more to take up Tamil Studies.
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