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Canadian Tamil Academy

Established in 1993, the Canadian Tamil Academy (CTA) prides itself in being a pioneer organization in preserving and cultivating the beauty of the Tamil language, literature, culture and history within the diaspora community. CTA’s mission is to educate and empower upcoming generations of Canadian Tamils to connect with their language and identity. The CTA strives to achieve its mandate through various programs catered to enrich knowledge and engagement with the Tamil language, literature, culture and history.

The programs within the academy are divided into six divisions as listed below:

Tamil Language: Elementary Program Tamil Language: Secondary Credit Course Program Tamil Language: University Degree Program Fine Arts Program Curriculum and Skill Development Program Competitive Examination Program

Tamil Language Programs

The Tamil language programs offered by the CTA follow an international curriculum that is offered to students across the globe. This unique international curriculum is shared globally to ensure that the Tamil language is preserved and taught in its purest form. The international curriculum provides the Tamil diaspora to engage in learning that unites them together through the beauty of language. Students are able to engage with this curriculum through textbooks and varying materials to assist learning. Textbooks and additional educational resources highlight and trace Tamil history, culture, traditions and lifestyle to the Tamil diaspora globally.

Elementary Program:

The elementary Tamil language program is offered to students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade Eight. Currently, the CTA offers the elementary program at eighteen campuses. Over a thousand elementary school students are currently enrolled in this program.

Secondary Credit Course Program:

The secondary credit course Tamil language program is offered to students from grades nine to twelve. The credit course Tamil language program was one of the first initiatives begun by the CTA in 1996. This program originally began with only two classes and has now grown to 46 classes at 9 campuses, in partnership with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In this program, students have an opportunity to delve deeper into Tamil language, literature, culture and history.

In addition to expanding their knowledge of the Tamil language, students are also able to use successfully completed courses as credits that count towards fulfilling their Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirements. Students can acquire 3 credits including a grade 12 U level credit that can be used towards university entrance requirements.

Tamil Degree Program:

In addition to Tamil Language programs at the elementary and secondary levels, the CTA has also been conducting classes for Diplomas, Bachelors and Masters degrees in Tamil language, Fine Arts and Yoga since 1999. We are privileged to provide degree programs in Tamil Studies in collaboration with the Annamalai University of Tamil Nadu. This program aims to provide a learning space for those who intend to broaden their knowledge of Tamil Studies and delve deeper into research within this field. In doing so, the CTA strives to empower and encourage students to become teachers of Tamil Studies in Canada.

Fine Arts Program

Through the Fine Arts Program, students are able to experience Tamil culture by engaging in traditional forms of music and dance. This program offers a variety of courses to choose from such as dance, vocal, and traditional Tamil instruments. The Fine Arts Program is open to all students ranging from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12. The CTA also conducts its own grading and certification program for dance, vocal and various instruments. Similar to the Tamil Language: Credit Course Program, students enrolled in the secondary Dance, Vocal or traditional Tamil instruments credit program are able to use their successfully completed credits towards the completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma requirements. The grade 12 U level Fine Arts courses can be used for university admissions.

Curriculum and Skill Development Program

The Curriculum and Skill Development Program is a specialized program for current and aspiring CTA teachers. This program emphasizes curriculum design for the Tamil Language programs as well as developing textbooks, examination papers and other resources. In addition, this program offers various seminars and workshops to further develop the skills and pedagogy of our talented teachers.

Competitive Examinations

The CTA also offers various opportunities for students to engage in friendly competitions in various divisions of Tamil, English, Math, Science and French that are based on the Ontario Curriculum. In addition, the CTA annually hosts Spelling Bee and General Knowledge contests. These competitions provide a platform for Canadian Tamil students to show off their knowledge and strengths as well as build their confidence in Tamil and English.