Compiled by C.ARUNO, DIVYA THERESA RAVI and R. ARAVINTHAN
INDIAN residents in Johor have been taken aback by reports that the state Education Department has instructed several Tamil schools to remove their Thiruvalluvar statues.
A number of Tamil schools in Johor had installed statues of the ancient poet-philosopher, best known for authoring the Thirukkural, Malaysia Nanban reported.
An unnamed Johor-based community leader said the Thirukkural’s 1,330 couplets on ethics and virtuous living have been translated into numerous languages and remain widely respected for their wisdom.
He noted that even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim frequently quotes the Kural, including in his Budget speeches.
He said Thirukkural, as well as statues or portraits of Thiruvalluvar, is not religious in nature, but is used to teach values and moral principles in a simple and practical way.
The directive, he said, not only deprives Indian students of an important part of their cultural heritage but also removes a valuable educational tool.
Tamil education activists and organisations in Johor are calling on the Education Department to reconsider the order, the daily reported.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
