future of tamil schools in malaysia

Roundtable

Conference of

Malaysian

Parliamentarians

Presentation on the

Future of Tamil

Schools

In Malaysia

Schools

In Malaysia

1

Date : 27th June 2011 (Monday)

Time : 11.30am

Venue : Parliament House

Opening : Dato’ Seri Nazri Aziz

Minister in Prime Minister’s Dept.

Tamil Schools Play an Important Role Developing Talent for Malaysia

TAMIL SCHOOLS IN MALAYSIA

▪ Research shows that children learn best if they are taught in their first language; for Malaysian children who habitually speak Tamil at home, Tamil Schools are the right choice

Education in Mother Tongue is a

Sound Policy and a Right

Education in Mother Tongue is a

Sound Policy and a Right

▪ In primary school, curriculum should be taught in the minority language; official language should be taught as a subject by bilingual teachers with understanding of the children's

Benefits of Tamil Education

Schools are the right choice▪ Sound primary education provides

talent for national development▪ Nurtures a dynamic, multi-linguistic,

multicultural national identify for Malaysia, which is a net positive in today’s global village▪ Gives an edge in strengthening ties

with regional economies

understanding of the children's cultural and linguistic background

�Hague Recommendations on the

Educational Rights of National Minorities

(1993)

▪ Mother tongue instruction is essential for initial instruction and literacy, and should be extended to as late a stage in education as possible

�UNESCO Education Position Paper :

Education in a Multilingual World (2003)

| 2

Tamil Schools Serve Over 100,000 Primary and Preschool Children


▪ Total Schools: 523▪ Students: 102,642▪ Classes: 4,728▪ Teachers: 8,921▪ Urban Schools: 168 (32%)

Schools and Students Over since 1938Basic Facts

500

600

700

800

900

80

100

120

No

. of

Sch

oo

ls

Stu

den

ts (

in t

ho

usa

nd

s)

▪ Urban Schools: 168 (32%)▪ Government Schools (Bantuan

Penuh): 152 (29%)▪ Low Enrolment Schools: 332 (63%)▪ Overpopulated Schools: 15 (3%)▪ Preschool Annex: 147 (28%)▪ Preschool Students: 3,960▪ Computer Labs: 157 (30%)▪ UPSR Pass Rate: 49.5%

| 3

0

100

200

300

400

500

0

20

40

60

No

. of

Sch

oo

ls

Stu

den

ts (

in t

ho

usa

nd

s)No. of Student No. of School

Today, there are 523 Tamil Schools catering to 102,642 primary students

Source: EMiS, MOE; Tamil Foundation Research Unit

Facts about Teachers

Issue 1: Shortage of Trained and Graduate Teachers in Tamil Schools


▪ 10th Malaysia Plan targets 60% graduate teachers in primary schools by 2015; however, only 19% teachers in Tamil Schools do so in 2011

▪ The percentage of untrained teachers (Guru Sandaran Tidak Terlatih) make up 18% of teachers in Tamil Schools; 16% of all GSTTs are in Tamil Schools

Teacher Status Across School Types

31% of SK teachers are graduates and only 2% are GSTT; whereas the figures are 19% and 18% for Tamil Schools

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

SK SJKC SJKT

Graduate College GSTTall GSTTs are in Tamil Schools

Graduate Teachers

| 4

Untrained Teachers (GSTT)College-Trained Teachers

SK

86%

SJKC

11%

SJKT

3%

SK

79%

SJKC

17% SJKT

4% SK

42%SJKC

42%

SJKT

16%

16% of the GSTT teachers in the MOE system serve at Tamil Schools

Graduate College GSTT

Source: EMiS, MOE; Tamil Foundation Research Unit

Facts about Student Population

Issue 2: 63% of Tamil Schools are Under-enrolled (< 150 students)


▪ Between 1970 and 2010, plantation community has largely been displaced to urban areas due to rapid development

▪ Over 50% of Tamil Schools are still located in plantations; the vast majority of them have fewer than 150 students

▪ 68 schools (13%) have fewer than 25 students, and on the verge of closure

Teacher Status Across School Types

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

In 2010, 84% of Indian population live in urban areas; however only 32% Tamil Schools are urban

students, and on the verge of closure

Schools and Student Population

| 5Source: EMiS, MOE; Tamil Foundation Research Unit

0

20406080

100120140

Sch

oo

ls

Student Range

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

Rural Urban Rural Urban

1970 2010

School Population

Facts about Student Population

Issue 2: Rural Areas have too many Schools whereas Urban Areas do not have Sufficient Schools


▪ Under-enrolment is acute in certain areas compared to others; Baling, Krian, HilirPerak, Muar, and Kota Tinggi districts have seen drop in Indian population

▪ Districts like Timur Laut, Kinta, PetalingJaya, Klang, Gombak, Ulu Langat, Johor Bahru, has seen increase in Indian population and need additional schools

Schools with 25 or less Students

population and need additional schools

Schools and Student Population


0

10

20

30

40

0

50

100

150

Stu

den

ts (

in t

ho

usa

nd

s)

Sch

oo

ls

Schools Students

Facts about Tamil School Land

Issue 3: Tamil Schools are Hobbled by Land Related Issues


▪ The JPBD Planning standards state that a primary school with 400 student population must have 5 to 8 acres of land; except for a few Tamil Schools, the majority Tamil Schools have 2 acres or less; there are also schools with barely 0.25 acres

▪ Many Tamil Schools do not know their school boundaries

Land Status of Tamil Schools

Own Land2%

Unknown

29% of Tamil Schools are located on land held by the Federal Land Commissioner for MOE; 9% are under state governments; 35% are in plantations; only 2% of the school land is owned by the school

school boundaries

Government and Govt. Aided Schools


MOE29%

State Govt.9%

Private14%

Plantation35%

11%

Government

(Penuh)

29%

Govt. Aided

(Modal)

71%

For a school to become fully-aided government school, the land title must be handed to the Ministry of Education (MOE)

Facts about Tamil School Facilities

Issue 4: Tamil Schools lack Facilities and Amenities for Proper Implementation of Curriculum


▪ Uncertainty in land ownership and low student enrolment has resulted in the MOE not investing sufficiently in Tamil Schools to upgrade the facilities

▪ The majority Tamil Schools do not have sufficient number of preschools, activity rooms, labs, teacher rooms, meeting rooms, etc.; many lack even playing fields

Preschool Annex by School Type

88% of National Schools (SK) have preschools; whereas only 28% Tamil Schools do. In terms of students, too, the preschool annex serves 24% of SK students and only 12% of SJKT students

80.0%

90.0%

100.0%

rooms, etc.; many lack even playing fields

Computer Labs in Tamil Schools


The majority of Tamil Schools do not have a computer lab even though it is required for the proper implementation of the National curriculum

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Schools Students

SK SJKC SJKT

Schools without a

Computer Lab

70%

Schools with a

Computer Lab

30%

Solution 1: Land for Tamil Schools


▪ A mismatch between the demand for and supply of Tamil Schools exists today; Tamil Schools are located in rural areas that have suffered emigration. Urban areas with high concentration of Indian Malaysians do not have sufficient schools. The following are recommended:� The various State Governments – particularly Selangor, Johor, Penang, Kedah

Each Tamil School On Its Own Land Per JPBD Planning Guidelines

� The various State Governments – particularly Selangor, Johor, Penang, Kedah

and Perak – to alienate land for new Tamil Schools in areas with high

Indian concentration (Klang district in Selangor alone, for example, needs

another 10 new Tamil Schools)

� Land that is under the State Government to be transferred to the respective

Tamil School Board of Trustees

� Plantations to allow relocation of Tamil Schools to a more suitable

location within plantation (e.g. relocation next to a town centre or main road)

� The land requirement should be per the JPBD Planning Standards and be

between 3 – 8 acres as per the student population and future growth

| 9

Solution 2: Infrastructure, Facilities and Amenities


▪ Between 2008-2011, the Federal Government has spent ~RM300 million to upgrade Tamil School infrastructure. While it was a major improvement, gaps remain, and school infrastructure needs ongoing maintenance and new schools need to be established. The following are recommended:� To set up a Tamil School Development Board that includes representatives

Conducive Learning Environment for all Tamil Schools

� To set up a Tamil School Development Board that includes representatives

of government and stakeholders from schools and community (e.g. Tamil

Foundation, Persatuan Guru Besar SJKT, Persatuan Lembaga Pengelola SJKT)

to plan and execute the long-term development needs of Tamil Schools. The

body shall receive funds from the government and channel it through the

respective school boards to set up new schools or upgrade facilities

� The state governments to consider providing allocation for infrastructure

development through the school boards (Lembaga Pengelola Sekolah) instead

of the Parent-Teacher Associations (PIBG)

| 10Source: Tamil Foundation Research Unit

Solution 3: Teacher Training


▪ Shortage of trained teachers in Tamil Schools has been a perennial problem. Further, the in-service training provided to teachers, too, is often insensitive to Tamil School situation and Tamil School student needs. The following are recommended:� To increase the places allocated (under KPLSPM and KPLI schemes) in

Student Outcomes are Determined by Teacher Quality

� To increase the places allocated (under KPLSPM and KPLI schemes) in

Teacher Training Institutes for Tamil School teachers to ~600 to address

teacher shortage and to replace retiring teachers

� To allocate sufficient spaces in the ‘Program Khas Pengsiswazaan Guru’

(PKPG) so that the target of 60% graduate teachers in primary schools is

achieved on time, and Tamil and Mandarin medium schools do not fall behind

� Alternatively, the Government may consider setting up a Tamil Teacher

Training Institute as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) under NKEA

Education EPP4. The Institute shall provide both pre- and in-service teacher

training per the MOE requirements

| 11

Solution 4: Preschools and Computer Labs


▪ NKRA and NKEA target preschool enrolment of 87% by 2012 and 97% by 2020. However, Tamil School preschool annexes only serve 12% of student population. Considering the entire Indian preschoolers, only 61% of them were attending preschools in 2010. Even with the set up of 8 new preschools catering to ~200 additional children in 2012, shortage will remain. The following is recommended:

Quality Preschool Increase Student Success in School and Beyond

additional children in 2012, shortage will remain. The following is recommended:� The MOE should to set up 800 new preschool classrooms before 2015 to fully

address need. Alternative: MOE allows the set up of private preschools within

Tamil Schools, under School Board management, and provide financial

support per the NKEA Education EPP1.

▪ IT Literacy is a must for 21st century workforce, and the National Curriculum has incorporated ICT lessons. However, only 30% schools have labs. The following are recommended:� To set up labs in all Tamil schools with over 50 students. Alternative:

collaborate with school boards to set up computer labs as a PPP scheme.

| 12Source: EMiS, MOE; NKRA; NKEA; Tamil Foundation Research Unit

future of tamil schools in malaysia

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