The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Linguistic minorities forum opposes Tamil from class one

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 20, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Linguistic minorities forum opposes Tamil from class one

Staff Reporter

Plea to restrict subject to classes six-nine

CHENNAI: The Linguistic Minorities Forum of Tamil Nadu (LIMFOT) has sought amendment of the legislation passed recently in the Assembly making learning of Tamil mandatory in all schools in the state.

They have requested the State Government to teach Tamil from class six to class nine for students from linguistic minorities, instead of introducing it from class one.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, chairman of the forum C. M. K. Reddy said that until now, minority students learnt their mother tongue (apart from English) up to class 12. "If Tamil is made compulsory, then a child will have to learn Tamil and English. Parents might not want to opt for a third language (mother-tongue), as it would burden the child," he said.

The forum said no other state had introduced three languages for a child in class one.

Once the Act was implemented, children of parents in transferable jobs would find it difficult to cope. "A child who has learnt Tamil from class one here will find it hard to learn a new language in some other state.

Similarly, a child coming here cannot compete with a student who has learnt the language right from class one," said M.Nanda Govind, general secretary of the forum.

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