TAMIL-MEDIUM SCHOOLS (Particulars)

Mr P. Selvadurai asked the Minister for Education (a) how many Tamil-medium schools there are in Singapore; (b) where the teacher for those schools are recruited from; (c) what type of students attend those schools; (d) what are the quality and standard of education imparted to children in those schools; and (e) what are the future prospects in Singapore of children educated in those schools.

Dr Lee Chiaw Meng (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, there are at present 15 Tamil-medium schools in Singapore. The teachers for these schools are recruited from amongst holders of the Government Tamil School Certificate and the Cambridge School Certificate with credit in the Tamil Language. They are trained in the Teachers' Training College in the Tamil medium.

As a rule, the children who attend Tamil-medium schools are from Tamilspeaking families in the lower income group. Tamil-medium schools have been adhering to the common curriculum and syllabuses since 1960. Pupils from Tamil schools sit for the common Primary School Leaving Examination at the end of the six-year primary education and the Government Tamil School Certificate Examination at the end of the four-year secondary school education. The Government Tamil School Certificate has been recognised as equivalent to the Cambridge School Certificate for the purposes of employment in Government service since 1964.

Since English is a compulsory second language in all Tamil schools, those in possession of a good Tamil School Certificate can compete with candidates from other streams of education for all Government jobs. They will be preferred, other things being equal, for jobs where a good knowledge of Tamil is essential.