Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2018 Toolkit Toolkit 2018 Final | Page 21

Particularly, these competitions
attracted Polytechnic and ITE
Tamil students who have very
limited exposure to Tamil
language and Tamil-related
activities.
Economic Viability of Tamil
Cultural, political and economic dominance
by the English language is viewed as major
reasons for the shift away from minority
languages (Sallabank, 2012).
Fluency in Tamil only increases employment
opportunities in a small pool of Tamil-related
fields such as teaching, court interpreters,
translation, and media (Kadakara, 2011).
Succeeding in one’s career and pursuing
Tamil are viewed as mutually exclusive, and a
common belief has been nurtured among the
local education system and society in general
that pursuing Tamil might affect one’s career
viability and distract students from their
focus on achieving financial stability.
Role models who have succeeded
with the pursuit of Tamil
When teachers relate success to Tamil,
students are not convinced. However,
when successful Tamil individuals give
motivational talks, students are better
able to realise that Tamil pursuits do
not necessarily deter one from
achieving material success
• For example, during TLF,
NTU TLS Alumni Association
initiated a TED Talk-style
event in which prominent
Tamil Youth speak about how
they sustained their love for
Tamil and how Tamil is always
a part of their lives even if it
has nothing to do with their
career
• Such student-run initiatives
appeal to youth since they can
relate better with the speakers
themselves and youth-led
projects are often viewed more
favourably by their peers
compared to events organised
by teachers or organisations.
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