President of Singapore S.R. Nathan has appreciated Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for his sustained efforts to help preserve and showcase the rich history of Tamil language and literature.
Expressing his inability to attend the World Classical Tamil Conference (WCTC), Mr. Nathan gave an account of the steps being taken in his country for Tamil promotion.
Pointing out that Tamil was one of Singapore's four official languages, he said it was being taught in schools for those whose mother tongue was Tamil.
To celebrate Tamil culture and heritage, various community bodies regularly commemorated such occasions with programmes that were well supported by all other Singapore communities.
The government of Singapore was also endeavouring to simplify the teaching of Tamil so that many more Indian students, belonging to “English-speaking” homes, would be able to overcome their difficulties with learning and speaking Tamil, Mr. Nathan said, wishing the WCTC and Tamil Internet Conference success.
A communication from Ajit Singh, Consul-General of Singapore in Chennai, stated that S. Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Industry and Education, would represent the Singapore government at the WCTC.
Almost 120 Tamil language scholars had registered themselves as delegates with the WCTC organisers.
