A living language - Singapore PM vows to keep Tamil flourishing

Tamil must continue to thrive as a living language in Singapore for generations to come, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has said, paying tribute to the countrys Tamil educators at a dinner marking the 75th anniversary of the Singapore Tamil Teachers Union (STTU), in one of only a handful of countries where Tamil is an official language.

Addressing guests on 17 July, Wong congratulated the union, which was founded 75 years ago and predates Singapores independence, on its growth from a handful of members in its early days into what he called a vibrant union run entirely by volunteers. It now counts more than 600 members, including pre-school educators, all of them full-time teachers giving their time on top of their regular classroom work.

A language under pressure

Wong acknowledged that mastering mother tongue languages has become harder as more young Singaporeans grow up in homes where English is the main language, used most often in school, at work and in daily life. "And for Tamil, the challenge can be even greater," he said, noting that students often have fewer natural chances to speak, read and use the language beyond the classroom.

Against that backdrop, he said, Tamil teachers do far more than teach vocabulary and grammar, passing on stories, values and traditions, and helping each generation appreciate the communitys culture and heritage.

He singled out two educators. Mdm Usha Krishnasamy of North View Primary School brought coloured sand, Play-Doh and music into her lessons to help pupils, including those with special needs, remember words, and guided upper primary students to compose Tamil songs using AI tools, work that won her the Presidents Award for Teachers last year. Mdm Normanisha Sarmani of Spectra Secondary School did not excel in Tamil as a student but went on to teach it, using chatbots and interactive quizzes to keep her classes engaging while pursuing a Tamil degree at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and was among the recipients of the Most Inspiring Tamil Teacher Award last year.

To them, and to Tamil educators across the country, Wong offered words in Tamil, "ungal arumpani thodarattum", urging them to keep up their good work.

Beyond the classroom

Wong credited the union with advancing the professional development of Tamil teachers, supporting the creation of Tamil degree programmes, and giving educators the space to share resources and adopt new teaching methods. In 1992, he noted, STTU established and organised the inaugural World Tamil Teachers Conference in Singapore, a bold initiative by one of its own teachers, Mr VRP Manickam, which has since grown into a respected international platform bringing together Tamil educators from around the world.

The union has also worked to grow the profession through mentorship and advisory programmes and close cooperation with the Ministry of Education, and has pushed the language beyond the classroom through partnerships such as its collaboration with MediaCorp on Tamizhil Yosi Tamizhil Vaasi, or Think in Tamil, Read in Tamil.

The programme, Wong said, reminds young people that "Tamil is not just a language for exams; it is a living language for communicating, creating and connecting with others."

He praised what he described as the tripartite partnership between the union, the Labour Movement, school leaders and educators, calling it a hallmark of the Singapore system.

Reaffirming the governments commitment to work alongside STTU, Wong set out a vision in which every part of society has a role in keeping the language alive, with teachers sparking interest, organisations like STTU supporting them, parents nurturing the language at home, and artists, writers and media giving it contemporary relevance.

"Teachers plant the seeds of interest in the languages they teach," he said, adding that keeping Tamil and Singapores other mother tongues truly alive would take "the whole of society to come together."

"When every part of the community plays its role, Tamil will continue to flourish as a living language in Singapore," he said.

See his full address below.