TEACHING OF TAMIL IN NON-TAMIL MEDIUM SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Mr S. V. Lingam asked the Minister for Education (a) what mini-mum number of pupils who wish to study Tamil there must be in any particular non-Tamil medium secondary school before a visiting teacher to teach Tamil as a secondary language is sent to that school; (b) whether at present, a visiting Tamil teacher visits each such school where there is that required minimum number; and (c) what provision is made and the manner in which children who cannot receive secondary language instruction in secondary schools they attend due to inadequate numbers are kept occupied in those periods when other children in their respective classes are receiving instruction in the other second languages.

Mr Ong Pang Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, as a general rule, a full-time teacher is posted to a secondary school to teach Tamil as a secondary language if there are at least four classes of 15 pupils each, or 60 pupils in all, who require instruction in that subject. In such a situation, the school will have 15 periods of Tamil a week, the minimum number to warrant the posting of a full-time teacher. In practice, the rule is not rigidly enforced and the Ministry will post a full-time teacher to a school even where there are fewer than four classes, or where some of the classes have fewer than 15 pupils each, so long as there are no less than 15 periods of Tamil on the time-table.

If a group of schools in the same vicinity jointly satisfy the minimum requirements and if their time-tables can be arranged to suit, a visiting Tamil teacher is sent to serve the group. At present , there are three secondary schools which satisfy the minimum requirements and have full-time Tamil teachers on their staff. They are Raffles Institution, Naval Base Full School and Pasir Panjang Secondary School.

In secondary schools which do not qualify for a full-time or a visiting Tamil teachers, pupils who wish to study Tamil as a second language can do so at any one of the 18 Tamil language centres: nine functioning in the morning and the other nine in the afternoon. Each centre is located in a secondary school to serve a group of other secondary schools in the same neighbour-hood. Pupils are free to attend the centre serving their own school or another centre which may be nearer their home. Pupils who do not receive instruction in the second language of their choice in school during the second language periods are encouraged to study as a non-examination subject whatever second language is taught during such periods. Those who prefer to spend such periods preparing for other subjects may do so, and supervision is provided wherever possible.