GEORGE TOWN: Basic facilities at national Tamil vernacular school (SJKT) in Penang have been progressively upgraded, with each school receiving an annual allocation between RM70,000 and RM80,000.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government was trying to increase the allocations to ensure the continual development of Tamil schools in Penang.
"I also emphasise that the Penang state government’s support for Tamil through annual allocations will continue. After nearly 15 years of implementing this programme, we can see that the basic facilities at Tamil schools have been improving year by year.
"Now, the Exco member in charge (Housing and Environment), Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo, always insists that the allocation is still insufficient and urges me to increase it so that Tamil schools can benefit further from the work made possible by the funds provided," he said.
He said this when speaking at the closing ceremony of the Penang Tamil Language Teachers International Conference 2024, held at the Penang Campus of the Institute of Teacher Education Malaysia (IPGM) on Sunday (Dec 22).
It is understood that Penang has allocated RM2.39mil annually since 2023 as special assistance to Tamil schools, Tamil school kindergartens, Punjabi schools and the Tamil Schools Committee Special Fund.
Chow highlighted that the Tamil language is a heritage rich in cultural, historical and traditional values that have endured for thousands of years.
Therefore, he said the role of Tamil language teachers must be strengthened to ensure this heritage continues to be appreciated, learned and passed on to future generations.
Meanwhile, conference chairman Dr Ponnuduraj Marimuthu said the event aimed to equip teachers with diverse teaching skills and build a strong foundation for Tamil language education.
The conference was organised by the Penang Tamil Language Teachers Association in collaboration with the Penang State Education Department for the first time.
The two-day conference was attended by 500 participants from across the state and international participants from Singapore, Mauritius, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka, who joined online. - Bernama
