Former School Coordinator 2024/2025
Dushika Nivethanan
In the words of Neil Armstrong, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
At the Academy of Tamil Language and Arts, our primary goal is to make learning our mother tongue accessible and enjoyable for all children who are eager to explore the Tamil language. We aim to provide them with the opportunity to embrace an additional language alongside English, enriching their cultural and linguistic repertoire.
We are fortunate to have the support of many parents who actively encourage their children to engage with the Tamil language through various avenues.
The Academy is dedicated to imparting our culture and traditions to the younger generation in a structured and systematic manner. We firmly believe that by equipping our children with knowledge of our language, culture, and traditions, we are paving the way for them to become well-rounded individuals who are proud of their heritage.
Dushika Nivethanan
Ex Educational Coordinator
Academy of Tamil Language and Arts
Canterbury Tamil Society
Former School Coordinator 2019 – 2022
Thayakaran Sandirasegary
Former Tamil School Coordinator 2017/2018
Sathiyatharshiny (Sathiya) Muralidaran
Awareness of our own culture and language is very important and will help us to build a sense of pride. When it comes to migration, the need of focussing on one’s own language and culture is vital as it is very easy to forget “who you are?” and “what is your identity?”. Knowing one’s own language, culture, values and beliefs will help to relate to others effectively across cultural lines.
I strongly believe that the best way that our children will enhance their confidence especially on foreign soil is to know their real identity by learning their language, culture and most importantly the values that have been passed to us by our ancestors for generations. If they are proud of “who they are?” then that confidence and pride will help them to succeed in their lives, face its challenges and appreciate and understand other cultures and diversities and to respect them. The CTS Tami School has taken this crucial social responsibility and has been doing its very best for our children for many years. It is my pleasure to be a part of this responsibility and to support our great team.
Former Tamil School Coordinator
Sasikala Koneswaran
I landed to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2010 December. You will possibly marvel that why I reflect of my arrival. I would like to look back the period when Tamil school was not functioning as we lost our venue due to the earthquake occurred in 2011. We heard that our Tamil School venue held at community centre going to be demolished, with all of our Tamil school resources that we collected little by little since we started the Tamil school in 1995. That was really shocking news for all the Tamil community in Canterbury Region. I could visualize that, how it would be challenging to start the school again without any resources. After a short while our Society decided to run the school in one of the members house at a very basic level with the available resources that was the re-start of Tamil School in 2011!… Yes. I started my contribution to Tamil school as a teacher from that period. I think it’s time to discontinue my story… not my story… believe me….it’s the post-quake, pick-up of Tamil school.