Bicentenary of Tamil Education in Malaysia Celebrated in Madurai
MADURAI, August 21, 2016.
R. Mahadevan, Judge, Madras High Court (fourth from left), honouring Malaysian Deputy Minister for Education P. Kamalanathan at a function organised in Madurai to commemorate 200 years of Tamil education in Malaysia.
The bicentenary celebration of introduction of Tamil education in Malaysia, organised by Sangam 4 at Fatima College here on Saturday, came up with opportunities for furthering the interests of the language through bilateral efforts between Tamil Nadu and Malaysia.
R. Mahadevan, Judge, Madras High Court, who honoured Malaysian Deputy Minister for Education P. Kamalanathan on the occasion, referred to how people's love and passion ensured that Tamil remained a vibrant language since the introduction of Tamil education in 1816. He also underscored the need to foster ancient Tamil art forms and also to form alliances with people in Malaysia to enhance the status of Tamil. Tamil people had the pride of having ownership of the mother of all languages, he said.
Outlining the initiatives to commemorate the bicentenary of Tamil education in Malaysia, Mr. Kamalanathan said that at present the country had 524 Tamil schools with 10, 000 teachers and one lakh students and efforts were on to expand it further.
Jegath Gaspar, convenor of Sangam 4, called for efforts to institutionalise exchange and dialogue in the field of education between the two countries. He also suggested the inclusion of Madurai as an ancillary subject in courses offered by autonomous colleges in the region. C. Pandithurai, who received an award for fostering Tamil in Malaysia, felt that the school curriculum in Tamil Nadu should contain lessons on Tamils living abroad.
Madurai Central MLA P. T. R. P. Thiagajaran said that of all the positions he held, the opportunity to serve the people as an MLA was deemed the highest. Those who addressed the gathering included R. Gandhi, senior advocate, and Congress MLA from Mudukulathur Malaysia S. Pandian.
Earlier, addressing students and staff members of Fatima College, Mr. Kamalanathan outlined the scope of pursuing Tamil research in Malaysia. While focussing on the international standards maintained by Malaysian universities, the Minister elaborated on the scope of internships and exchange programmes in the field of education.
Mr. Thiagarajan stressed the need for students to enhance their skills to grab the opportunities that came their way.