Singapore minister Indranee Rajah speaks of importance of helping children actively use Tamil

Indian-origin Singapore minister Indranee Rajah has emphasised upon the importance of Tamil language as a mom tongue, underscoring the necessity to introduce children to 1 of the 4 official languages within the affluent metropolis state.

The Singapore schooling system encourages mom tongue as a second language in colleges — these embrace Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Malay, and Chinese (Mandarin).

“We want to make sure our children have alternatives to be continually uncovered to Tamil language,” mentioned Indranee Rajah, Minister within the Prime Minister’s Office.

Tamil language acted as a “passport” that linked all Tamil folks, Rajah mentioned not too long ago, as reported by the Singapore media. The minister was on the launch of the Tamil Language Festival 2024, which runs from March 30 to April 28.

Language needed to be learnt as a residing lesson, Rajah mentioned. It was not one thing that “you possibly can simply research, you should put it to use”.

“Be it by tv, social media or print, so long as they’re listening to, listening and utilizing the language from [a] younger [age], we will hold it alive,” Rajah was quoted as saying by the Friday weekly Tabla!

To uphold the wealthy legacy of the Tamil language in Singapore, the Tamil Language Council (TLC) has been organising the Tamil Language Festival (TLF) for the previous 18 years. This 12 months noticed a really vibrant and energetic launch ceremony, with a full-house viewers. Centred on the theme of ‘Capabilities’, the competition calendar options 47 programmes this 12 months.

Rajah had earlier additionally emphasised on the importance for each era to remain linked to their mom tongue, and in flip, their heritage and cultural id.

‘Love Tamil, Speak Tamil’

According to a media launch: “This 12 months’s TLF will function 47 programmes by 48 companions, because the neighborhood comes collectively to current a spread of literary, oratorical, arts and cultural programmes. These programmes will encourage everybody to ‘Love Tamil, Speak Tamil’, embrace their mom tongue, and use the language of their each day lives.”

“This 12 months’s [Tamil Language Festival] theme was chosen to encourage the creation of revolutionary programmes, whereas harnessing our collective strengths,” mentioned TLC chairperson S Manogaran.

More than 65 per cent of the programmes on the competition have been organised by the youth, which has boosted Tamil language engagement amongst younger folks by artwork, tradition, and literature initiatives.

“Many of our youth at present are discovering a brand new goal in studying and utilizing Tamil; many of the programmes are focused at them,” mentioned Manogaran, as quoted by Tabla!