TN private schools told to teach Tamil for students till Class 10

CHENNAI: The director of private schools has recently ordered all private schools in the State to teach Tamil subjects in a phased manner for students of classes 1 to 10.

Under the Section 2 of Tamil Nadu Learning Act, 2006 (Tamil Nadu Act 13 of 2006), the department has directed to extend teaching Tamil subjects till Class 10.

By the end of 2024-25 academic year, all private schools affiliated to various boards other than State boards will have to ensure that all students from Classes 1 to 10 are taught Tamil, the department noted.

In case of students who have not opted for Tamil in Classes 9 and 10, the department has noted that as part of respective board exam requirements, the child will have to be mandatorily taught Tamil as compulsory language.

And, the director of private schools will determine the syllabus as well as the exam pattern for the same. "The final written exam for this Tamil paper for Classes 10 for all private schools will be conducted by the director of government examination, TN and a separate certificate will be issued for the same,” the circular added.

Commenting on this, KR Nandakumar, state secretary of Tamil Nadu Primary, Matriculation, Higher Secondary and CBSE school association said, "Firstly, the direction by the directorate seems non-applicable for boards like CBSE, ICSE and others as the syllabus is prepared by the respective boards and the exams are also conducted by them. Hence, the State government has little hold on their protocols."

Secondly, Nandakumar went on to question the condition of students from other States who might be willing to study their native language instead of Tamil.

"A parent of a child from a minority population in TN will want their child to learn their language instead of Tamil. Hence, TN should be willing to accommodate that. And, it is vital for the government to consider the difficulty of learning a new language for a student enrolling in class 9 from another State."