Tamil schools

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The Tamil schools that first appeared in Singapore were not established by the government of the time. On the contrary, from the 1980s, Christian churches, Tamil activists, and trade unions founded them (see: Tamil Education). Additionally, at that time, most Asian communities (Malays, Chinese, Indians) held the belief that education was unnecessary for women. Separate schools for boys and girls, initiated by Western Christian organisations, helped break this barrier. Additionally, schools that taught a mother tongue – Tamil or Chinese – together with English, such as the Anglo-Tamil and Anglo-Chinese schools, secured government subsidies, as the government at the time only granted funds to English and Malay schools. This approach helped Tamil education. அ

Hindu and Islamic organisations also began establishing Tamil schools for the children of labourers in their residential areas during colonial rule. Additionally, unions representing labourers and Tamil activists formed separate groups to start and run small schools in their neighbourhoods. Most of these schools were one-room facilities with a single teacher. Some were porch schools, where classes were conducted on a porch or veranda of someone’s home. Many of the individuals who established these schools were uneducated or had only completed primary school. Lacking management skills, the school administrators were typically professionals like Mestris (supervisors), Mandors (foremen), overseers, and clerks. However, they all shared a passion for the Tamil language.

At that time, the Tamil used in schools was heavily influenced by Sanskrit. Many Tamil schools in Singapore were named after Indian nationalists, Tamil poets, and Indian communists, reflecting a desire among founders to maintain a connection with their motherland. Initially, government grants were only awarded to schools run by Christian churches. It was not until 1938 that the government began granting aid to registered Tamil schools. Before World War II, it appears that 18 Tamil schools were operating in Singapore, with a total enrolment of about 1,000 students. Among these, two schools started by Roman Catholic organisations received government aid, though no Tamil schools were established by the government itself.

With a few exceptions, most Tamil schools operated in unsanitary and unpleasant conditions, often located near slaughterhouses, hospitals, or warehouses. Additionally, the schools faced numerous challenges, such as unqualified and untrained teachers, a lack of teaching materials and curriculum, inability to pay teachers consistently and a small student population. There were also no trained supervisors to oversee the schools, communication between schools was poor, and many parents placed little importance on education. Despite these obstacles, Tamil schools continued to function sporadically. After World War II, when the British returned to Malaya and Singapore, many unions began establishing Tamil schools for the children of their members in worker housing areas. This movement was partly a response to the efforts made to promote the Japanese language, Nippon-Go, during the Japanese occupation.

In 1948, with the Emergency Declaration enacted by the British to combat the communist movement, many trade unionists who supported Tamil schools with Indian communalist names fled or were deported or were executed. Consequently, these schools lost support, and their names were hastily changed. During this challenging time, the Singapore Tamil Education Board was established under Sarangapany's leadership in 1948 to support Tamil schools. The board was responsible for recruiting qualified teachers, appointing principals, overseeing schools, managing accounts, and providing substitute teachers for those on medical leave. The board continued to operate until the 1960s, introducing many initiatives for the development of Tamil schools. Among the various problems faced by Tamil schools, two stand out. First was the issue of financial scarcity. Daily wage workers often had little extra money to support schools, and even the one teacher at many schools couldn’t be paid regularly. To pay the teacher’s salary, administrators often had to go door to door collecting funds. In order to refurbish schools or purchase basic equipment like tables and chairs, schools raised funds through activities such as flower sales and community donation drives, while also seeking help from local Tamil theatre groups to stage plays to raise money. Some wealthy Chinese individuals also donated money to Tamil schools. Additionally, Sarangapany’s Tamil Murasu newspaper helped raise funds by publishing detailed reports.

Second was the low number of Tamil students which made it difficult to establish and sustain separate schools for them. The Tamil student population was small despite migrants, who came to Singapore alone in the early days, gradually bringing over their male children and later their entire families. As a result, these parents began establishing schools as a safe place for their children, who would otherwise roam the streets. There’s also reason to believe that some workers may have started Tamil schools out of a sense of competition.

Below are some brief notes on a few historical Tamil schools. More information is available in the Tamil version of this entry.

Our Lady of Lourdes Tamil School
Our Lady of Lourdes Tamil School is one of the oldest Tamil schools in Singapore. It operated within the premises of the Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 50, Ophir Road, which is still standing today. The school had separate sections for boys and girls. The church was initially built for Tamil Catholic Christians, with financial support from Tamil Catholic Christians who had migrated from Pondicherry. The British government provided the wetland near the Rochor Canal for the construction of the church, which took place between 1886 and 1888.

The official inauguration of the Our Lady of Lourdes Tamil School took place in 1888. When Tamil teachers were unavailable, church nuns and pastors taught the Tamil language to the pupils. Later, as parents began preferring English-medium schools, enrolment decreased, leading to the closure of the Tamil section. However, after World War II, the school continued to operate as an English school.

St. Theresa Convent
St. Theresa Convent, another Tamil school established by the Catholic Church for the children of poor Tamil families, was founded in 1892. Initially, it operated in a rented house behind St. Theresa Church at Kampong Bahru Road. It continues to function as an English school. After World War II, the English and Tamil sections of the school were held in separate locations. The current school complex on Lower Delta Road was completed in 1951. Most teachers at the school were nuns or converts to Catholicism. St. Theresa Convent was originally an integrated school where both English and Tamil classes were conducted under one roof. Although it began as a small institution—enrolling only 33 students on its first day—the school grew significantly after World War II. In 1948, land was purchased, and construction was completed by 1951. Due to its location on a hill with no main road nearby, reaching the school required traversing a path cut through rock.

The school, originally a private institution, became government-aided in 1952. However, the Tamil section closed in 1953 due to a lack of Tamil students. 

Schools Run by Ramakrishna Mission
The Ramakrishna Mission began its work in Singapore on 7 August 1928. The Mission established boys' homes to care for abandoned male children, promoted the learning of Indian languages, and founded Tamil schools for the growing Tamil population in Singapore and Malaya. Though the Mission did not provide as many schools and services as the Christian churches, its social contribution was significant.

Ramakrishna Mission’s schools operated from a two-storey building at 38 Norris Road, which still stands today. The building housed six classrooms, and separate classes for boys and girls were held at different times of the day. A small field beside the school was used for gym classes. Annual sports events were conducted at the nearby Rangoon Road English School grounds. To raise funds, the school organised an annual Flag Day. The Vivekananda Boys' Tamil School was established in 1929 and the Saradadevi Girls' Tamil School was inaugurated on 2 February 1937 which was Swami Vivekananda's 75th birthday by H R Cheeseman, the Inspector of Schools for Labuan and Singapore. Many students educated at these schools went on to become Tamil teachers, helping to lay the foundation for Tamil education in Singapore. However, these school closed down due to a shortage of students in the 1980s.

Umar Pulavar Primary School and Secondary School
In the 1940s, many Tamil Muslims lived with their families in the Tanjong Pagar area. In 1946, the Kadayanallur Muslim League rented a small room on the top floor of a shophouse at 72, Tanjong Pagar Road for their use. A N Maideen, the secretary of the league, arranged for Tamil lessons to be taught there. Tamil classes officially began on 6 May 1946. However,  the Department of Education, which oversaw the school, deemed the current location unsuitable and offered the school a replacement site on a nearby hill along Maxwell Road. The new school was inaugurated on 17 March 1950, by the then-Director of Education, W. Frisby. Primary classes, from grades one to six, were taught in two classrooms. 

Not only was there a shortage of space, but students completing sixth grade also had no opportunity to continue their studies in Tamil. The management team of the school, though not highly educated, were visionaries. They sought to convert the school into a secondary institution. Recognising the financial challenges this posed, they raised funds through various activities. Dato Lee Kong Chian contributed $10,500, and the Singapore People's Alliance government offered financial support, matching the funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

The foundation-laying ceremony for the new school building took place in 1959, under the leadership of then-Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock. After the People's Action Party came to power later that year, the Minister of Education, Yong Nyuk Lin, officially opened the new three-storey building on 30 March 1960. Umar Pulavar Secondary School operated until 1982, becoming the only Tamil secondary school to be established in Southeast Asia. Many of its students later became Tamil teachers.

Kalaimagal Tamil School
The Kalaimagal Tamil School was one of the most cherished Tamil schools, because of its origin and its resilience. The school was established for the children of staff working at Woodbridge Hospital, a mental health facility on Yio Chu Kang Road. The school started on 15 September 1946, in an attap-thatched hut with 40 students. It was located near the hospital’s mortuary. The person who granted permission for the school to operate there was Dr. Home, who was working at the hospital at that time. Initially, the school had only two teachers—one conducted Tamil classes in the morning, and another conducted English classes in the afternoon. Thus, Kalaimagal Tamil School and Kalaimagal English School operated under the same roof at different times. T Arumugam, a Medical Assistant at the mental health hospital, contributed significantly to the school’s success. He sought help from Sardon bin Haji Jubir, a Malayan minister, to lease three and a half acres of government land for the school. He also approached Dr. Charles Paglar, who provided desks and chairs.

When many Tamil children were unable to gain admission to English schools, Kalaimagal Tamil School helped fill the gap. The school later moved to the 10th mile on Yio Chu Kang Road, where it held primary classes from grades one to seven (Standard I-VII). In 1953, a private English school began operating in the same building in the afternoons. Over time, the wooden structure was replaced with a concrete building through various fundraising efforts. Among Tamil schools, Kalaimagal had a particularly well-constructed building, a spacious playground, and a large student body. Along with several classrooms, the school also had an auditorium that seated about 600 people. 

An attempt was made to convert Kalaimagal Primary School into a secondary school and technical education centre. The determination displayed by the government, the public, the Tamils Representative Council, other Tamil organisations, and people of other ethnicities for this initiative was remarkable. Women in the community also helped raise funds for the school, and port workers alone contributed $15,000. Kalaimagal School was also the site where vocational education was first introduced in Singapore. A building was constructed nearby for this purpose, but the initiative was ultimately not successful. The school was not only an academic centre but also a welcoming space for practising the arts of prose, music, and drama. Many students who attended the school later excelled in one of these art forms. Additionally, many went on to become Tamil teachers. The school came under the supervision of the Ramakrishna Mission in 1967 and closed in 1975.

In addition to the schools mentioned above, many more Tamil schools sprang up across Singapore. Most of these schools offered education up to the fourth or fifth grade, often with the same teacher instructing multiple classes. For many, this was the extent of their Tamil education, as overcrowding and limited transportation prevented further studies. Girls, in particular, were often discouraged from attending school after reaching puberty. On 17 January 1947, Tamil Murasu published an editorial calling for the establishment of a sixteen-classroom school on ten acres of land, complete with a hostel for 200 students, accommodations for staff, and 20 teachers. The proposed monthly cost was $5,000, and the plan suggested that wealthy Tamils in Singapore contribute $10,000 each to make this dream a reality. It did not materialise. However, the Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre which was established in 1983 after all the Tamils schools had closed, is today a major hub for Tamil education in Singapore, echoing that early dream.



For more information
Dass, Danapaul Savery. Tamil Education in Singapore, 1945–1969. A thesis presented to the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Education, 1969.
Dass, Danapaul Savery. Tamil Education in West Malaysia and Singapore 1860–1970. A thesis presented to the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Education, 1972.
Doray, Joseph. “Tamil Education in Singapore.” In 150 Years of Education in Singapore, edited by T. R. Doraisamy, 116–125. Singapore: TTC Publications, 1969.
Michael, Clement, et al. The Dance of Faith: Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, 1884–2011. Singapore: National Library, 2012.
“Opening of Saradamani Girls’ School.” The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (1884–1942), 3 February 1937, 7. (From Newspaper SG) 

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.