There is no doubt that Tamil literature at the SPM level must be saved at all costs as there are many compelling reasons to retain it. Indian students should be given an opportunity to choose their own preferential subjects in addition to their core subjects especially if the preferential subject is their mother tongue. There should not be any hindrance to them in taking those subjects in the name of 'capping'.
Worst still, in the name of solving the problem there should not be a system of
'10 + 2' whereby the student taking Tamil language or Tamil literature is given 'second-class' treatment by saying that the subjects if taken outside the maximum 10 would not be considered for scholarships and CGPA grading. I firmly believe that only a person who went through Tamil school at the primary level and took Tamil as a subject at the SRP/SPM/STPM examinations would be able to understand the issue better. Although many Indian students go to Tamil schools for their primary education, only few excel in Tamil literature because in Tamil schools they only learn the subjects in the Tamil language but are not given enough exposure in Tamil literature content.
It is only when the family consists of Tamil scholars or enthusiasts willing to walk the extra mile to encourage their children to learn more about literature that the student develops an interest in the subject and ends up taking Tamil literature at the SPM level. Of course, there are also many Tamil school students who excel in Tamil language or literature out of their own interest and love for the language without any parental and family support.
The interest and enthusiasm of the Tamil school student for Tamil language comes to an abrupt end when he enters secondary school. Here, there is no opportunity at all for him to continue his Tamil education and many libraries in secondary schools do not even have Tamil books on their shelves.
Poor condition of POL classes
The only option for the enthusiastic Tamil school student to continue with his Tamil education is to attend the POL (People's Own Language) classes. Again most secondary schools nowadays do not provide POL classes efficiently and even if provided the poor condition of POL classes at our secondary schools are well known and needs no further explanation.Even if the POL classes are properly conducted by a qualified teacher, Tamil school students are grouped together with those coming from national schools and because of the imbalances in proficiency, Tamil school students are unable to improve their Tamil language by attending POL classes.
In conclusion, by attending a POL class, a Tamil school student doesn't acquire anything more than what he had already acquired through his Tamil school education.With all these obstacles, Tamil school students, through the support of family members and Indian NGOs providing Tamil tuition, go on to take Tamil as a subject at the SRP level and later at the SPM or STPM levels.
However, it is only at the SPM level, the student is given a choice of two subjects in Tamil, one in Tamil language and the other in Tamil literature. It is only at the SPM Tamil literature level that a student is given a taste of the rich Tamil literature through a proper examination syllabus. Therefore Tamil literature at the SPM level becomes important to a student who intends to further his knowledge and education in Tamil.
A survey would show that most students who take Tamil literature at the SPM level also end up taking Tamil at the STPM level. At the STPM level, there is only one subject in Tamil but it also covers the literature component. Therefore it can be seen that SPM Tamil literature is also a training ground, providing the confidence to students to take Tamil at the STPM level.
It is students who take up Tamil at the STPM level who end up filling up the Indian quota in Malaysian public universities since most of them get good grades in Tamil at the STPM level which helps them increase their CGPA grading thereby landing them a place in a public university.
Fall and rise of SPM Tamil literature
Even though they are interested, many Tamil school students have been avoiding taking Tamil literature at the SPM level because they feel it is a tough subject to score and takes up a lot of time of study because of the literature content. It is also an additional burden to them if they are already taking nine or 10 subjects including Tamil language. Most Tamil school students who opt for science stream
do not take Tamil literature because of the heavy load of content in science subjects. Many parents also do not encourage their children to take Tamil literature at the SPM level as they feel taking one subject in Tamil is more than enough. By the time a student reaches SPM, the parents also become confused as to what extent they should give priority and importance to Tamil as a subject even
though their love for the language is unquestionable. The general feeling is that concentrating on
other core subjects and scoring a good overall grade is more important than concentrating on Tamil language or Tamil literature.
Another reason students avoid Tamil literature is that there are not enough study materials to assist them. It is also difficult to get someone qualified to teach you on the subject. Therefore there is a vast difference in the number of students taking Tamil language and Tamil literature at the SPM level. Coupled with these and many other reasons, it is not a surprise that in 1998 the number of students
taking Tamil literature dipped to a mere 300 or so. When there were indications that the subject may be scrapped completely from the SPM list due to lack of students taking it, the Indian community sprang into action.
Many Indian NGOs and Tamil enthusiasts encouraged students to take Tamil literature and some Tamil scholars came forward to provide tuition for these students without any consideration for remuneration. Study materials were also prepared by qualified teachers to assist the students. Parents were also coaxed into encouraging their children to take Tamil literature as a subject to further the student's
knowledge and in the process, to preserve the subject at the SPM level.
With all the efforts put together, the number of students taking Tamil literature soared to more than 4,000 by the year 2008, a remarkable achievement indeed.
It is this particular aspect that the Indian community is irked and irritated about. When the number of students taking Tamil literature was dwindling, the Education Ministry and in fact even MIC leaders did not do much to improve the situation. It was the Indian NGOs and Tamil enthusiasts who in their own capacity took it upon themselves to increase the number of students taking Tamil
literature without any political or government assistance .
But when their efforts are bearing fruits now, just with a stroke of the pen, the ministry and in particular, the education minister, are killing the spirit and enthusiasm of Indian students who are eager to take Tamil literature despite all the obstacles.
Merge Tamil language and literature
The time has also come for the Indian community to rethink about the subject in the context of changing educational needs of the student. We need to apply rational thinking, taking into consideration the modern trends in education together with the burden for the student to be torn between Tamil language and Tamil literature.
One of the best solutions to overcome the current impasse would be to merge Tamil language and Tamil literature into one paper at the SPM level.
With this change, most of the students wishing to take Tamil at the SPM level would be able to take the subject within the 'maximum 10 subjects'. Furthermore, if the student wants to take Tamil outside the maximum 10 subjects then the student should be allowed to drop Moral studies (which is compulsory now) in order to take the Tamil paper.
This means that Moral studies subject would become optional for those students willing to take Tamil and compulsory for those not taking Tamil. The Education Ministry should appreciate that it is more important for the student to take his own mother tongue rather than moral studies.The ministry should also appreciate that Tamil literature whether modern or classical, have one of the highest moral values in their subject content. Classical literatures such as 'Aathi Choodi'
and 'Naladiar' are in fact highly regarded texts on moral values. Let us not forget 'Thirukkural' which has been translated into so many languages and today stands tall as the epitome of all moral values a piece of literature can offer.
Even modern literatures by Tamil scholars like Mu.Varatharasan have always been appreciated for promoting moral values and some of his works have been included in our Tamil syllabus at the SPM and STPM levels.
All such books and other Tamil literatures put together would be able to convey the moral values much more effectively to a student than what the ministry intends to provide through their Moral studies paper. Therefore, by having only one Tamil paper at the SPM level and by making Moral studies optional, the current impasse could be overcome easily.
The Indian community should also appreciate that Tamil Literature in this country had been preserved and taken to the next level by Tamil writers and poets who enriched the local Tamil literature through their writings and contributions.
Many of our most notable Tamil writers and poets did not enhance their language skills by taking Tamil literature at SPM or STPM levels. All their basic interest and knowledge in Tamil language came from their Tamil school education. Therefore Tamil literature in this country would evolve by itself and would remain forever in this country through the enthusiasm of many writers as long as there is Tamil school education. It doesn't matter whether there is Tamil literature at SPM level or not.
Therefore the emphasis should be on Tamil education at Tamil schools and not on Tamil literatur at SPM level. -R.MUTHARASAN

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This article first appeared in Malaysiakini on the 17th of December 2009.