Tamil in our Schools

Manjula

TAMIL TRIBUNE, July 1999 (ID. 1999-07-02)

Current issue at: http://www.geocities.com/tamiltribune

Though we speak Tamil at home, why is it that most of us find it difficult to learn and write correct Tamil?

I remember, when I was in school, Tamil was one of the toughest subjects for me. I had to allocate more time to study the required Tamil texts compared to other subjects, even though I used guide books like the "Konar Tamil Guide". I still remember how happy my friends and I felt when we did not have to write Tamil examinations in college.

Haven't you heard this feeling from most of the school and college students (especially students who have English as the medium of instruction)? They hesitate to take Tamil as their second language because they believe that Tamil as a subject does not fetch them good marks as other second languages like Hindi and French do. Isn't it disheartening to know that a rich language is being neglected by most of us just because we find it difficult to score good marks in examinations?

It would be a great service to our mother tongue if all of us join hands and request our educators to frame a syllabus that would encourage students to learn and appreciate the language.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Ms. Manjula's comments are right on target. There is a general belief that Tamil teachers are stingy in giving marks when grading examination papers. This is borne out of facts because, on the average, those who take Hindi or French or Sanskrit instead of Tamil do score higher marks. I do not believe for a minute that those students taking Tamil or "dumber" than those taking Hindi or French or Sanskrit. Government should eliminate this bias in the grading system. Before finalizing the marks, government should compute the average marks earned in Tamil, Hindi, French and Sanskrit. These averages should be close if there is no bias in grading. If they are not, the marks should be adjusted so that the average is the same. For example, if the average for Hindi is 62 and for Tamil is 47, then marks earned by all taking the Tamil examination should be multiplied by a factor of 62/47. This is the fair thing to do. This will prevent students from taking other languages instead of Tamil for the sake of getting higher marks. If someone wants to study another language for other reasons that is well and good.

I hope that TAMIL TRIBUNE readers who have access to top educators and politicians in Tamil Nadu will raise the issue with them.)