I doubt M Kayveas expected such widespread condemnation . Even the Indian middle-class who isn't, o­n the whole, in favour of Tamil schools didn't come to his aid. What he 'actually' said, of course, is now anybody's guess (since he has shifted his position so frequently), but the callousness with which he made them continues to trouble me.

In that regard, he is neither the first, nor, I suspect, the last to wish ill for Tamil schools.

Eventhough the majority Indian-Malaysians receive their early education in Tamil schools, too many middle- and upper-class Indians continue brush these schools as hopeless or, worse, as relics of colonialism. This attitude must change.

Tamil schools aren't what they used to be. Over the years, there have emerged many Tamil schools that are top notch. SRK(T) Simpang Lima in Klang is a case in point. With a student population of 1,400, it has nearly hundred computers in two labs manned by two full-time staff. The school even has two buses of its own to bus students for extra classes.

Simpang Lima, by the way, isn't an exception; others like Watson and Nilai Tamil schools, too, boast similarly impressive infrastructure and thriving student bodies. More schools of such nature could be created if the well-off in the community sloughed off their prejudice and stepped forward to help. That is the o­nly way. They cannot continue to leave the task of developing Tamil schools in the hands of MIC alone.

At present, not-for-profit organisations like CHILD, EWRF, and Tamil Foundation (MTERDF) - all headed by highly educated professionals - are doing excellent work o­n the ground supporting Tamil schools. More such work is needed.

And, moreover, Tamil schools don't exist in a vacuum. They exist in a community setting. So, the development of a Tamil school, in truth, also develops the surrounding community.