Date:18/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/18/stories/2006081805980500.htm

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

`Introduce Tamil medium in schools'

Staff Reporter

Coimbatore: The Kerala State Tamil Protection Council has asked the Kerala Chief Minister, V.S. Achuthanandan, to provide Tamil medium of instruction in the primary schools for the benefit of linguistic minority living in the Northern districts of the State.

The council general secretary, M. Pechimuthu, recently met Mr. Achuthanandan at Thiruvananthapuram and presented a memorandum in this regard. The memorandum said that Pattancheri, Vandithavazham, Ayyappankavu, Kannimari, Plachimada, Navazhanthodu in Chitoor blocks of Palakkad has a large number of Tamil speaking population, especially adi-dravidars and tribal population.

For their benefit, the Government had arranged Tamil medium of instruction for Higher Secondary students at the Vandithavalam School since 1992. But, the same was not available in the primary and middle schools.

Students in these classes had to travel at least 15 km to 20 km a day for reaching schools at Chitoor, Thattamangalam, Mudalamadai and Meenakshipuram. The Chief Minister should consider introducing Tamil medium of instruction for standards one to seven at KKM High School in Vandithavalam.