By P. Murugiah
Disclaimer: The views expressed in letters to the editor are those of the letter writers and do not necessarily reflect the positions or opinions of this publication or its staff. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor and may be edited for clarity, brevity, or compliance with our publication standards.
Historical records show the presence of Indians and Chinese in Malaya way before the pre-colonial period, while textbook writings highlight the British colonial policy that brought the ethnic Indians and Chinese to Malaya between the 19th and 20th century to work as labourers in the rubber plantations and as miners in the tin mines.
At that time, rubber and tin were seen as the twin goddess of wealth of Malaya and were inextricably linked to the economic prosperity of the nation.
This new-found prosperity boosted the migration Indians and Chinese to Malaya and over time, their population increased, with most choosing to be settled permanently, having large families, and with a vision for an independent and prosperous Malaya.
Apart from building temples and community centres, the settled Indian and Chinese communities also established Tamil and Chinese schools respectively with their mother tongue being the medium of instruction.
These vernacular schools flourished all over the country with the number of schools increasing rapidly to accommodate the increase in population.
Fast forward to the 21st century, this situation has changed and has become reversed and quite worrisome.
The views raised recently by Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin on this issue runs parallel with the concern raised by the Penang Hindu Association with regards to the survival of Tamil medium schools in Malaysia as this concern stems down to demographic rather than cultural or economic ground.
The concerns of both YB Sim and Penang Hindu Association (PHA) relate to the workings of the theory of population growth and its effect on the establishment of schools where the demand for education directly determines the supply, or survival, of educational institutions.
In presenting his concern, Sim provided statistics to show a declining birth rate among ethnic Chinese over the years in Malaysia.
Similarly, PHA raises its worries over the census report by the Malaysian Department of Statistics which showed that the ethnic Indian population in Malaysia has been slowly declining across the decade.
The population statistics for the ethnic Indians that stood at 7.3 per cent in 2010, dropped to 6.7 per cent in 2020.
The latest census done by the Malaysian Department of Statistics shows that, as of July 2023, only 6.6 per cent of the population of Malaysia are ethnic Indians. PHA
fears that if this trend continues, the future of Tamil schools in Malaysia may be jeopardised as many SJKT schools may become ‘Sekolah Kurang Murid’ or schools with low enrolment, which would provide grounds for them to be closed and the pupils to be relocated.
In finding the possible cause for this state of concern, PHA sees the marriage factor as the root cause. Many young ethnic Indians and Chinese are reluctant to get married today, and even if they do, having large families has already become a thing of the past.
This non-committal perspective is more significant among the career-minded, middle-income males and females, who choose to focus on their career rather than on their marriage in order to be financially stable.
Unfortunately, by the time their financial expectations are met, many would have reached their thirties or beyond, and at this stage, they assume that finding a life partner to start a family would be difficult as they have already crossed the ideal age of marriage.
As such, many decide to remain single, and this profoundly contributes to the decline in the population.
In addition to this, the high cost of raising and educating children has also driven ethnic Indian youths to shy away from marriage as they consider it an added financial burden.
PHA found that many single Indians of marriageable age, especially those in the B40 group, were financially insecure.
Many such youths say that with ageing parents and family members to manage with a meagre salary, marriage was out of question.
To make ends meet, some even had to resort to loan sharks. Being put in such a situation, getting married and starting a family is a topic which they prefer to avoid.
In seeking answers to reverse the population decline and to secure the existence of Tamil schools, Penang Hindu Association finds a possible solution in promoting the institution of marriage among ethnic Indians who are single, and henceforth encouraging them to have larger families.
As a Hindu based NGO, Penang Hindu Association has been collaborating with Sri Meenakshi Sundaraeswarar Temple, Penang, to organise a programme called ‘Suyamvaram’, which in Tamil literally means a ‘matchmaking event’.
This non-profit programme is specifically for marriage-minded Hindus who are single, divorcees (with or without children), widowers/widows (with or without children) and also for single parents and the physically challenged Hindus.
The primary aim of this programme is to create opportunities for marriage-minded Hindus to meet for the purpose of marriage, with the hope that the institution of marriage would create the institution of family.
This programme was initiated in 2022 with a number of successful marriages over the years. PHA hopes that similar programmes could be organised by Hindu temples and Indian based NGOs as it will be among the determining factor for the growth of the ethnic Indian population and the survival of Tamil schools in Malaysia.
Participants of this programme should also be encouraged to make Tamil schools as the first choice for their children’s primary education.
Penang Hindu Association believes that the establishment of Tamil and Chinese schools form a substantial part of our historical and cultural heritage in Malaysia and everything within our means needs to be done to sustain and maintain that history and the survival of these schools.
Media & PR: editor@dailystraits.com. Copyright 2021–Present DailyStraits.com. All rights reserved.