Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Decision on Tamil medium only after SC verdict

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI April 18. Any decision on making Tamil or mother tongue compulsory medium from classes I to V, can be taken only after the Supreme Court's order on the State's appeal against a High Court verdict, the Education Minister, M.Thambi Durai, told the Assembly today.

Replying to a question, he said the November 1999 order making Tamil or the mother tongue compulsory medium was held void by the High Court. Subsequently, the State filed the appeal.

Denying that no serious step was taken to challenge the High Court order, the Minister said it had appointed the senior counsel, K.K.Venugopal, to represent the State and also filed a counter-affidavit.

On members' demand for enacting law to make Tamil a compulsory medium of instruction, the Minister said it was not possible now as the matter was in court. He, however, assured that the Government was taking steps to promote Tamil.

Referring to the charge by A.Gnanasekaran (TMC) that matriculation schools were collecting exorbitant fees, Mr. Thambi Durai said the Government was aware of the problem and so it appointed the S.V. Chittibabu Committee to go into various aspects of the matriculation system. The panel would hear different sections in Chennai in the third week of this month.

Earlier, B.Ranganthan (CJP) said in many States the mother tongue was made the compulsory. Only in Tamil Nadu, had Tamil not been made compulsory.

G.K.Mani (PMK) and V.Sivapunniyam (CPI) wanted the Government to consult legal experts to enact law making Tamil a compulsory subject in schools.

While M. Appavu (Ind) urged the Government to make Tamil the first language in schools, Murugavel Raj (PMK) appealed to it to give an incentive to schools which were offering Tamil as the only medium.

Finland aid for hospital infrastructure

The Finland Government has agreed to extend an assistance of Rs. 86 crores for improving infrastructure, including purchase of modern equipment in medical college and peripheral hospitals.

The Health Minister, S. Semmalai, told the Assembly that a team of officials from Finland would soon inspect the hospitals and assess their requirement for providing assistance.

Replying to a question by the AIADMK member, P.K. Sekar Babu, on lack of facilities at the peripheral hospital in the Radhakrishna Nagar constituency here, the Minister said the number of patients increased after facilities had been increased there.

Now specialists from the Stanley Hospital were making periodic visits to the hospital.

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