Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami requests Yediyurappa to fill vacancies of Tamil teachers

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Thursday requested his Karnataka counterpart B S Yediyurappa to take steps to fill vacancies of Tamil teachers in government and state-aided schools, citing an association's plea. Palaniswami said, over the years, while the Karnataka government started many Tamil schools in various districts to enable Tamil students to study in their mother tongue and granted approval as well as grants to private Tamil schools, a representation has now been received by his government on vacancies.

In a letter to the Karnataka Chief Minister, he said: "We have received a representation from the Karnataka Tamil School and College Teachers Association, indicating that there are many vacancies of Tamil teachers in government and government aided schools and that the state government has also not given approval for opening new private Tamil schools.

I enclose a copy of the representation for your kind perusal." Palaniswami urged Yediyurappa to accord permission to open new private schools with Tamil as a medium of instruction and grant them recognition and reopen recently closed schools. Also, he urged "restoration of Tamil schools, which have been converted into other language schools" besides filling up vacancies of Tamil language teachers.

He said Tamilians have been contributing significantly to the all-round economic development of Karnataka and "in particular, Tamilians have made immense contribution in developing Kolar Gold Mines, Hutti Gold Mines, Sandur Manganese Mines, Coffee Estates in Chikmagalur, Mangalore etc." They have also been playing a major role in construction and agriculture sectors in Karnataka, he said and requested action to protect the interests of Tamil-speaking people.