Who SAID MIC NOTHING DO FOR OUR TAMIL SCHOOLS!!

Tamil education in Malaysia started when a Tamil primary school was established in the state of Pulau Pinang in 1816. Later, the estate management and the British government opened more Tamil primary schools when the rubber estates grew up in numbers by the end of the nineteenth century. Thus, by 1905 there were 13 government and Christian Mission Tamil schools in Malaya.

In the beginning, most of the schools did not last long due to lack of support and commitment from the estate management and there was no continuous effort from the Indian or Tamil community itself to sustain these schools.

The number of Tamil schools in Malaya had been increasing since thousands from India especially from the Southern part of India came to Malaya as labourers to work in the rubber, tea, coffee and sugar plantations. In order to attract more labourers and make them stay longer, the labour ordinance 1912 ensured that the estates management had to set up Tamil schools if there were more than 10 school going children in the estates.

However many estates owners refused to build Tamil schools for estate children and it caused the children to study in dilapidated buildings and former smoke houses. Furthermore, the government in those days had not allocated fund to build Tamil schools.

Between 1930 and 1937, there were some developments in Tamil education when the Indian government was concerned about the mistreatment of Indian labourers in Malaya. As a result, the Malayan Government set up a special committee to provide financial assistance to Tamil schools, appointed inspectors for Tamil schools and also started teachers' training. The number of Tamil schools had also increased tremendously. By 1938, there were 13 government, 511 estate and 23 mission Tamil primary schools in Malaya.

Before independence, the Tamil schools¡¯ curriculum did not have teaching of Malay and English languages. Emphasis was given only to reading, writing and arithmetic skills in the lower primary level and writing composition and geography was taught in the higher primary level.

After World War II, the government started to give serious attention to vernacular education by enforcing Education Law 1946. This Law emphasised on free mother tongue education and increased the grant provision to Tamil schools. This move paved the way to the increase of students in Tamil schools. Number of students increased gradually from 29,800 in 1946 to 38,700 in 1949.

Barnes Report 1951 with reference to the Malay education proposed the National Education Policy. It questioned the existence of Tamil and Chinese schools. As a reaction to this report, the Indian community set up a committee to protest the Barnes Report, which ignored mother tongue education.


In 1951, Indian Education Committee reviewed Tamil school education and proposed teaching of English in standard Four and Malay language in standard Five.

The children, on leaving the Tamil primary school, were absorbed into the working milieu of the estate. Parents themselves, mostly illiterate, did not see the value or purpose of seeking out a secondary education in Tamil. Apparently, most of them in the estates were able to lead comfortable lives compared to their counterparts left behind in India.

Status of Tamil Schools after independence

Razak Committee that was set up in 1956 brought about some changes in Vernacular education. This committee ensured Tamil school education and Tamil schools were classified as ¡°National Type of School¡±. More financial assistance was provided and remove classes were introduced for Tamil school children who intended to further their study at secondary schools in English. National based curriculum was proposed for all primary and secondary schools to instil unity and integration among various races in the country.

In 1960 Rahman Talib Committee proposed teaching of Malay language in standard One and English in standard Three in Tamil and Chinese schools. Since then more training opportunities were provided to Tamil schoolteachers and more Tamil schools were equipped with basic amenities.

There were 720 Tamil primary schools in 1963. The number decreased to 526 in 2000 when majority of Indians migrated from estate to urban areas due to conversion of rubber plantations to oil palm plantations and development of the estates as industrial and housing areas. There are still 526 Tamil primary schools in 2004.

Since 1970, Tamil primary schools have been witnessing visible improvement in the performance of the students, teachers' quality and fiscal conditions. More than 400 schools out of 526 schools have been provided with good buildings and basic amenities. More than 80% teachers in Tamil primary schools are trained teachers. The students also have been recording high passes in the public examination (UPSR). For example the passing percentage among Tamil schools students in 2001 was 40.1%. It rose to 57.6% in 2003. In 2001, 165 Tamil school students had scored 7As in the UPSR examination. It rose to 356 students in 2003.

Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and social organizations have been playing very important role in uplifting the standard of Tamil Primary schools in Malaysia. The Government funds were obtained by MIC to upgrade the fiscal conditions of Tamil schools. Some issues faced by Tamil schools also were brought to the government's attention and additional programs have been carried out to improve the performance of the students. In brief, the MIC has been the guardian of Tamil schools in Malaysia.

In 2002 Tamil schools have accepted the government's decision to teach Mathematics and science in English as one of the ways to acquire more knowledge and increase the competency of the students in English. Now Tamil schools have become more attractive and more middle class parents and professionals have started to send their children to Tamil schools.

As at 31 January 2004, there are 95,242 students in the 526 Tamil primary schools in Malaysia. It has risen from 87,710 students in 2002. It is expected that, the enrolment in Tamil school would exceed 100,000 in 2005 due to the improved performance among Tamil school students in the previous years and awareness among Indian parents who have started to rediscover their own mother tongue and cultural values is mounting high.

Thank You MIC