Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Toolkit Toolkit Final as of 17082016 | Page 18

Sustainability of Tamil Author: Mr. Mohamed Shaik Faizal Constitutional and Institutional Support in Singapore for Tamil Aspects of Language Sustenance • Evident with the various government policies and tools that have been in place since independence. • The most impactful policy has been the 1966 bilingual policy, which encouraged students of Indian origin to learn and speak Tamil (MOE Speeches - 2008) • Tamil is represented in the various institutions of the country and community, in most government services including the Parliament, in the bilingual educational policy, and in the multi-cultural media of the nation. • Another government initiative, is the establishment of Tamil Language Council in 2001, with its primary objectives to encourage the speaking of Tamil among the community and to link the language with youth (Rajan, 2014, 203). • There is Tamil studies in the Department of South Asian Studies, NUS and a Bachelor of Arts in Tamil Language and Literature undergraduate programme in UniSIM, which shows that there are various avenues for Tamil to thrive. Community (Media) • • 60 Chart 1: Proportion who Spoke English most Frequently at Home amongst Indian Resident Population Age 5 Years and Over by Age Radio content: In the past, there were literary programmes such as short stories and radio plays. Now, the programmes are centered upon songs, movie reviews and news. Radio is dynamic and pervasive. Hence, it is an important medium in sustaining Tamil especially in the households. Education • Tamil teachers should encourage weak students to speak Tamil confidently. • However, teachers do not have full autonomy as they need to abide by the guidelines set by the education system. • The mainstream subjects are conducted in English thereby reducing the instances of Tamil being spoken outside the Tamil classroom. • With English being the lingua franca (a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different), the students are more comfortable conversing in it. 50 40 30 20 10 Family • 0 5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 2000 2010 55 & Over (Demographic Characteristics, Education, Language and Religion 2011) • Family has to inculcate the notion of reading books (apart from textbooks) in children. If the family does not speak the language, it would not survive. The language must be reinforced via reading as a family unit so that the language can be cultivated in a young child. Family as the Key in Sustainability • • Evident from the Chart 1, there has been a drastic increase in the percentage of English speakers at homes and the most drastic increase has been in the 15-24 years age group. As posited by Rajeni Rajan (2014), Kawasaki (2014), Fishman (1972) and Spolsky (2007), families are seen as the most important domain and institution for children to learn their mother tongue. PAGE 15