High cash awards, but poor participation of the students in Tamil language competitions now in TN - Whats happening?
Posted on: 03/Aug/2022 9:36:35 AM
Poor interest from the students regarding Tamil language competitions!!
Participation of the school students in Tamil language competitions or Tamil programmes has been dull now in Tamil Nadu. This despite the fact that the Directorate of Tamil Development has initiated few programmes with high cash prices.
There are reasons cited for the poor participation of the school students in Tamil language competitions and these are lack of awareness regarding competitions and the Directorates dependency on the School Education Department to organise events etc.
On 18th July 2022, in the state wide competition that was held for students of classes 6 and 12 just 1214 and 1209 students respectively took part in t essay and speech based competitions respectively. The school education department has allotted Rs 16.72 lakhs cash prize.
In the subsequent essay and speech based competitions across TN, at the same state level competition, just 37 and 36 students of these classes took part. The highest amount of Rs one lakh cash prize was allotted for each competition by the school education department.
On 3rd June 2022 on the occasion of Kalaignar Mr. M. Karunanidhi`s (former chief minister of Tamil Nadu) birthday, 178 boy students and 524 girl students took part across TN in the speech competition for the college students. The Directorate had allotted Rs 3.80 lakhs as cash prize for the speech competition event with Rs 10000 for each district.
It was shocking to mention here that not many students took part in the Thirukkural reciting competition also. This competition was launched in 2000 by the former CM Mr. M. Karunanidhi is known. According to the Directorate of Tamil development from 2000 till 2021 just 688 students have taken part in the Thirukkural reciting competition. In this, if a student recites the entire 1338 couplets then he or she would be awarded Rs 10000.
The Director of Tamil Development Mr. N. Arul expressed his unhappiness regarding the reduced interest among the students for the Thirukkural reciting competition. He concluded that there are plans to segregate the events as per the classes as junior, sub-junior and senior levels and it would be announced after the discussions.
