Our Teachers

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Kandasamy Nallasivam

Kandasamy Nallasivam is the founder Principal of the Perth North Tamil School, and has been teaching continuously at our school for the last 25 years. Through his continuing service he has inspired and mentored many young educators, parents and volunteers to take on the role of teaching their mother-tongue to the current generation. He received the prestigious “Maruthi Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Australian Kamban Kazhagam.

He is passionate about identifying new methods to help children learn the language. He published a collection of worksheets putting out his ideas on simplifying the writing of the 247 Tamil alphabets. He was a nominee for the inaugural Community Languages Teachers Award in 2018, a joint initiative of the State Government’s Office of Multicultural Interests and the Ethnic Schools Association of WA.

Mr Nallasivam had a career in accounting and management in his home country, Sri Lanka. On migration to Australia he completed a diploma in teaching. Being a trained mathematics teacher, he also provides free homework support and tuitions for children from our community. He uses this as an opportunity to communicate with them in both Tamil and English, making Tamil language learning a practical task.

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Malathy Suresh

Malathy Suresh currently teaches Tamil Language to intermediate level students at our Perth North Tamil School. She has been involved with the Tamil school for the past four years and currently also functions as one of our Teacher Coordinators. Malathy completed her Masters in Computer Science in 2007 at Bharadhidasan University, India.

She worked as an Assistant Professor for Cauvery College for Women, Tamil Nadu, India and has gained experience in the teaching field.

Malathy got married in 2009 and moved to Perth. Due to her passion for teaching, she undertook a Certificate III in Education Support in 2017 at North Metropolitan TAFE, Midland, Perth. She also worked as an Education Assistant (Casual relief staff) in Ellen Stirling Primary School, as well as an Outside School Hours Care Assistant at Camp Australia.

Malathy loves to learn new cultural based music instruments. She learned the Parai (traditional Tamil percussion) which is one of the ancient drums in India, especially from South India. She has performed in various cultural programs held across Perth.

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Sathiyapriya (Sathiya) Saravanakumar

Sathiyapriya (Sathiya) Saravanakumar currently teaches Tamil language to primary level students at our Perth North Tamil School. Sathiya has been working with our school since 2017, and her two sons are also students at our school. Sathiya also functions as one of the Teacher Coordinators of our school.

Sathiya earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Literature from Madhurai Kamarajar University, Tamil Nadu, India. As a language teacher at Tamil school, she has attended professional development course delivered by Community Languages WA / Australian Institute of Management.

Sathiya and her family speak Tamil as their first language at home and actively participate in a number of Tamil cultural activities. She continues to be part of our North Tamil school although her family has moved to the southern suburb of Riverton.

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Yogaranjitham (Ranji) Nithiananthan

Yogaranjitham (Ranji) Nithiananthan has been teaching at the Perth North Tamil School for the past 11 years. Migrated from Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 2008, Ranji has been actively involved in the Tamil school and the monthly Friday community get-together in Ballajura.

She has worked as a primary school teacher for three years teaching Tamil in Jaffna. After migrating to Australia Ranji completed her Certificate III in Children’s Services and has worked as a childcare assistant at the Alexander Heights Childcare Centre.

Ranji cares for her elderly mother-in-law, and travels to Sri Lanka whenever she gets an opportunity. Ranji’s time is now mostly spent with her new granddaughter, to whom she is very keen to teach Tamil.

 

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Vijaya Masilamani

Vijaya Masilamani  has been a teacher at Perth North Tamil School since 2015 for intermediate level classes (Years 2/3).

Vijaya hails from the Thanjavur district of the Tamil Nadu State of India.

She had her complete school education in her mother-tongue Tamil and her family speaks Tamil as their first language at home.

Vijaya lives in Bennett Springs with her husband and two children. Vijaya provides continuous encouragement to her son and daughter to participate in Tamil literary competitions and cultural activities and helps them with preparing for these events.

 

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Thivakari Arulchellvam

Thivakari Arulchellvam had been a teacher at Perth North Tamil School from 2008 to 2011, and has come on board from 2020 after a break with her parental duties.

Thivakari comes from Sri Lanka and speaks Tamil as her mother-tongue at home.

After completing banking studies, Thivakari worked at HSBC until she migrated to Australia in 2007. Thivakari completed her Diploma in Accounting at Central TAFE in 2011.

Thivakari has learnt Carnatic music in her young age and is very passionate about music. She is providing full time care to her kids while working at Aegis aged care part time.

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Srijeigowry (Gowry) Shanmuganathan

Srijeigowry (Gowry) Shanmuganathan has been working with Perth North Tamil School since 2016 and currently teaches Tamil language to Intermediate level classes.

Gowry first migrated with her family to Germany from Sri Lanka. She completed her higher studies there and worked as a Doctor’s assistant. She was also actively involved with Tamil Aalayam – Bielefeld for five years and was a member of the Tamil Youth Group in Germany.

Gowry got married and moved to Perth in 2007. She completed her Diploma in Nursing and has been working for the Department of Health WA. Her family speaks Tamil as their first language and one of her children attends our Tamil School.

 

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Kohila Chellachi Kathiresan

Kohila Chellachi Kathiresan currently teaches Tamil language to senior level students (Year 7 and above) at our Perth North Tamil School. She is a qualified teacher from India, earning her Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Education (MEd) in Tamil language from Manonmanium Sundarnar University, Tamilnadu, India in 2008 and 2012 respectively. She has five years of experience in teaching year 10 students and one year of experience in teaching Bachelor of Education (BEd) students in Tamil Nadu state of India.

After moving to Perth, she earned a Diploma in Childcare from Stanley College, Mirrabooka in 2016. She has also worked as a childcare educator in Alexander Heights Child Care. She is interested in travelling with her family and learning new languages. She lives with her husband and two children in Ballajura. She has been working with our Tamil school since 2016.

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Karpagam Senthilkumar

Karpagam Senthilkumar has been teaching at our Perth North Tamil School from 2018 to intermediate level students. Karpagam is originally from Chennai, Tamil Nadu State of India and moved to Australia in 2013.

Karpagam completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the Madras University in 2009 and obtained a Diploma of Teaching in Tamil (Pondichery, 2012). Karpagam lives with her husband and two children in Bennett Springs.

 

 

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Latha Srinivas Raju

Latha Srinivas Raju teaches Tamil Language to intermediate level classes (year 4 and 5 students) at Perth North Tamil School.

Latha completed a Bachelor of Arts in Tamil Literature in 2006 at Madras University, and subsequently completed a Bachelor of Education in Tamil Literature at the Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University in 2008. She also worked as a Tamil teacher in a government school in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India) for one year.

She lives with her husband and son in Dayton. She has been working with our Tamil school since 2018.

 

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Ramalingam Shanmuganathan

Ramalingam Shanmuganathan is a retired public servant, who worked as a Finance Officer for 15 years in the disability services sector.

Back home in Sri Lanka, he worked as a teacher for 23 years. He is interested in community services and devotes his time for spiritual activities too.

At Perth North Tamil School, he teaches our senior students, and also volunteers as the Secretariat Coordinator in the management committee. His hobbies are gardening and reading. He says that it is his pleasure to teach at Perth North Tamil School.

 

 

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Nilakshan Swarnarajah

Nilakshan Swarnarajah teaches Tamil language to Level 1 (Beginner) class at our Perth North Tamil School. He has been involved with the Tamil School for over 11 years in various capacities and currently also functions as the School Coordinator. He lives in Alexander Heights with his wife and two children, both of whom are also students at our Tamil school.

Nilakshan completed his law studies at Sri Lanka Law College in 1999. He also holds a Master of Business Administration and a Diploma of Journalism from the University of Colombo; a Diploma of Conflict Resolution from the University of Peace (Costa Rica) and Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (Colombo); and a Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Management from the Flinders University.

He speaks Tamil as his first language and actively participates in a number of multicultural community initiatives. He has been involved in Tamil language and literary activities from his childhood, serving as the president of the Tamil Literary Association and the Tamil Debating team at his secondary school, Colombo Royal College; and as the Tamil debating team leader of the Sri Lanka Law College in 1998 and 1999.

Nilakshan worked for the British Government on community development, peacebuilding and conflict resolution initiatives in Sri Lanka for eight years. After moving to Perth in 2008 he has been working for the Western Australian State Government.