ABOUT 6,000 Tamil school pupils and secondary students in Penang have received workbooks and revision books to enhance their language proficiency and prepare for major examinations.
Penang Tamil Schools Special Committee, headed by Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu, distributed the books to 400 students at the SJK(T) Mak Mandin, Butterworth today. These students were chosen as representatives of a total of 5,930 recipients.
Sundarajoo, the committee chairman and state executive councillor, announced that the state government, through the committee, sponsored 15,900 Tamil workbooks (costing RM55,000) for students in 28 Tamil primary schools.
In addition, 600 revision books were distributed to students in 52 secondary schools preparing for the SPM exam next year. The cost of these books, amounting to RM10,000, was also covered by the committee.
“The materials for the Tamil primary school pupils cover Tamil Comprehension, Tamil Writing, and Tamil Grammar.
“Of the 5,330 Tamil primary pupils, 50.63% (2,699 recipients) were from the B40 background.
“The main objective of this initiative is to help SJKT students prepare for Final Exams and enhance the preparedness of those taking SPM next year,” Sundarajoo said.
Sundarajoo, also the Perai assemblyman, has vowed to address the land-related issues concerning Tamil schools during his term.
“Good news awaits the SJKT Ladang Juru as it is about to receive a new piece of land for reconstruction. We are also planning to build a field for the SJK (T) Azad.
“I would also like to thank the former leaders and the state government for its RM2 million annual allocation for Tamil schools,” he said.
Sundarajoo also shared his desire to establish a seed fund to provide financial assistance to Indian students for education.
Bagan Dalam assemblyman K. Kumaran, the vice-chairman of Penang Tamil Schools Special Committee, urged Tamil school teachers to voice out any injustices without fear and favour.
“Please inform us if there are any issues concerning the Tamil schools so that we can work towards solving them.
“I have also requested a raise in the allocation for infrastructure upgrades in Tamil schools during the recent State Legislative Assembly. We want the students to have a conducive learning environment,” Kumaran said.
Story & Pix by Tanushalini Moroter