World: New York Tamils hold sports festival for children

Monday, 31 July 2006

New York, USA: The Arts and Cultural branch of the World Tamil Organization in New York held its Ninth annual children's sports festival at the Jamaica High School sports facilities in Jamaica New York Saturday starting from 10:00 a.m. More than 200 children from Staten Island, Queens, Brroklyn, Bronx and New Jersey areas took part in the festival, organizers said. The sports festival commenced with the lighting of flame of sacrifice, and the hositing of US and Tamil Eelam National flags, and the flag of the Arts and Cultural Organization.

Several sports events were held and participants and victors were awarded trophies at the conclusion of the event.

The participants were drawn from the three different Sunday Tamil schools organized by volunteer parents in New Jersey, Staten Island and in New York.

Diaspora parents have established a Tamil Education Board head quartered in Germany with members in other countries with significant Tamil population. This Board is responsible for drawing up curricula for teaching Tamil language and culture to diaspora children.

"Tamil books for Kindergarten to Grade 9 have already been developed that satisfy specific educational needs of diaspora children. These were drafted with expert guidance from University Professors in Tamil Language from South India, Singapore and Sri Lanka," Mr Rajaratnam, a member of the Education Board from Canada told TamilNet.

"Although developed outside Sri Lanka, the books and the school curriculam were reviewed by the Tamil Eelam Education Board in Kilinochchi in 2004 and were approved," Rajaratnam added.

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