Indian residents in the Malaysian state of Johor have expressed shock and dismay following reports that the state Education Department has directed several Tamil schools to remove statues of Thiruvalluvar, an ancient Tamil poet and philosopher. The directive has sparked widespread concern among the Indian community, who view the statues as an important part of their cultural heritage and educational tradition.

According to Malaysia Nanban, multiple Tamil schools throughout Johor had installed statues of Thiruvalluvar, who is best known for authoring the Thirukkural, a classical Tamil text consisting of 1,330 couplets. An unnamed community leader based in Johor emphasized the universal significance of the Thirukkural, noting that its teachings on ethics and virtuous living have been translated into numerous languages worldwide and continue to be widely respected for their timeless wisdom.

The community leader highlighted that even Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim frequently quotes from the Thirukkural in his speeches, including during his Budget presentations to Parliament. This demonstrates the text's relevance and acceptance at the highest levels of Malaysian government, making the Education Department's directive particularly puzzling to community members.

Defending the educational value of the statues, the community leader stressed that both the Thirukkural text and statues or portraits of Thiruvalluvar are entirely secular in nature, not religious. He explained that these cultural symbols serve as valuable educational tools, helping to teach moral values and ethical principles to students in a simple and practical manner that transcends religious boundaries.

The directive has been criticized as particularly harmful to Indian students, who the community leader argues are being deprived of an important connection to their cultural heritage. He emphasized that removing these statues eliminates a valuable educational resource that has helped generations of students learn about ethics, morality, and virtuous living through the wisdom of one of Tamil literature's greatest figures.

In response to the controversial order, Tamil education activists and various Indian organizations throughout Johor are now calling on the state Education Department to reconsider and reverse their decision. The groups argue that the statues represent cultural and educational value rather than any religious or political messaging, and their removal would constitute an unnecessary erasure of Tamil cultural heritage from the educational environment.