Eastwood Tamil Study Centre History

With Tamil literature dating back to the 3rd century BCE and the displacement of Tamil writers around the world since the civil war in 1983, the aspiration to teach Tamil, to Tamil children became a need amongst the Sydney Tamil community.

 

Sydney witnessed a growth in Tamil schools in Homebush, Ashfield, Denistone, Seven Hills, Holsworthy, Wollongong, Mount Druitt, Wentworthville and Eastwood. These centres drew the Tamil community from all parts of Sydney primarily to introduce, teach and develop the Tamil language, it’s values and culture to our children.

 

Mr T. Baheerathan from Eastwood, with the backing of Saiva Mantram officials such as MrKanapathippillai, MrBalendra, MrSundaresan and MrRajan approached Eastwood and surrounding suburbs’ Tamil parents for support to establish a Tamil school. The parents who gathered at MrPaheerathan’s residence at the inaugural meeting showed great enthusiasm in starting a school. MrBaheerathan was elected as the president and Mr Krishnamoorthy as the principal in the founding executive committee of the Tamil Study Centre. Parents became qualified Tamil teachers and began teaching at Denistone Primary School every Saturday. Two years later, the study centre was moved to Eastwood Primary School because of greater transportation options.

 

Within a year after the creation of Eastwood Tamil Study Centre, Saiva Mantram decided to separate themselves from Tamil studies to function independently.  This restructuring was necessitated to avoid the complications in obtaining the government grants as well as relinquishing religious identity to Tamil studies.  A coordinating committee of all Tamil schools in NSW was formed to replace the role that was played by the Saiva Mantram. Balar Malar Tamil school joined this committee too. This committee thereafter institutionalized and named as New South Wales Federation of Tamil Schools.

 

At the parents and teachers meeting in 1995, our center’s objectives were defined. Parents at the meeting voiced that their children wished to study Tamil through social interaction. It was agreed accordingly there were to be four key objectives.