A STUDY ON THE HISTORY OF ESTATE TAMIL SCHOOLS IN MALAYA

Abstract

The majority of Tamil labourers that came to Malaya were involved in

the rubber and coconut plantation industries. The British, in order to

continuously maintain labour presence in the plantations, introduced the

“3Ts” in the estates, which were the Tamil Schools, the Temple, and the

Toddy Shops. At the time, Tamil schools were a signifcant element in

highlighting the British economic programme in pre-Independence Malaya

based on the divide and rule policy. The Tamil schools, as set up by the

British in the estates, were in deplorable conditions, and were not intended

to raise the standard of living and education level of the Tamils. They, in

fact, serve the two-pronged goal of maintaining Tamil labour presence in

the plantations, and ensuring they received the minimal amount of education

possible, if any. This study aims to answer the key questions: what were the

motives of the colonial authorities in their introduction of Tamil vernacular

schools in the estates, and what was the actual situation regarding Tamil

schools during the early and later periods of British rule. Furthermore, the

problem statement in this study has been addressed, in that it proves that

Tamil schools in the estates were not meant for the material advancement

of the Indian community, but for British economic beneft.