❓ The Minister provides an update on the redeveloped Community Languages Program, highlighting increased funding, expanded services, and a significant rise in participating schools, languages taught, and student numbers.
AnsweredQoN 446Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
COMMUNITY
LANGUAGES PROGRAM
446. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests:
Given the importance of community languages across Western Australia,
can the minister please update the house on the outcomes delivered since the
community languages program was redeveloped in 2015?
LANGUAGES PROGRAM
446. Ms E. EVANGEL to the
Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests:
Given the importance of community languages across Western Australia,
can the minister please update the house on the outcomes delivered since the
community languages program was redeveloped in 2015?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question and for her participation
in, and support for, the community languages program over many years.
As members know, this state has a community languages program
that promotes the study of various languages, after hours, around our
community. It is a very important part of culturally and linguistically diverse
communities, in which people pass on their culture and language to their
children and introduce their culture and language to the wider community. The
program had not been altered for many decades, in terms of both the quantum and
allocation of money, and the number of new programs was capped for many years.
We undertook a review and made some major changes, and those changes are
unfolding. We have increased the payment per student from $65 per year to $100
per year, and we have expanded the range of services that we provide to them.
The number of schools that are receiving funding has increased from 28 to 45, a
60 per cent increase. The number of schools and languages that receive
assistance of some sort—that is, money, advice, teacher development and
other assistance—has increased from 28 to 75, which is a very large
increase. Importantly, the number of languages studied has increased by 200 per
cent, from 17 to 51. We have for the first time community language schools teaching
important languages like Hindi; prior to this, one of the world's most
important languages was not taught, even though we have a very large South
Asian community. Another one is Swahili, one of the major East African
languages. Previously there were no after-hours classes for students or for
people who work in East Africa and wanted to have an introduction to the
language. Also, importantly, Japanese is now taught as a community language,
even though it is taught very widely in our schools. There is a growing
Japanese community in Western Australia of more than 3 000 people, and they
finally have a community language program.
We are not only supporting the schools with funding; we have
also provided professional development to more than 600 teachers and
administrators in community language schools who donate their time freely to
the sector. Over the next year we will expand our school accreditation program
and improve teacher, administrative and governance assistance. Importantly, we
are developing teacher resources for various languages, particularly linked
with Victoria, to assist them in developing curricula, translations and
electronic gear for the study of languages. This is a major initiative and has
been controversial in some sense, but it has been overwhelmingly successful
with more than 3 800 kids now studying various languages in our community on a weekly
basis.
in, and support for, the community languages program over many years.
As members know, this state has a community languages program
that promotes the study of various languages, after hours, around our
community. It is a very important part of culturally and linguistically diverse
communities, in which people pass on their culture and language to their
children and introduce their culture and language to the wider community. The
program had not been altered for many decades, in terms of both the quantum and
allocation of money, and the number of new programs was capped for many years.
We undertook a review and made some major changes, and those changes are
unfolding. We have increased the payment per student from $65 per year to $100
per year, and we have expanded the range of services that we provide to them.
The number of schools that are receiving funding has increased from 28 to 45, a
60 per cent increase. The number of schools and languages that receive
assistance of some sort—that is, money, advice, teacher development and
other assistance—has increased from 28 to 75, which is a very large
increase. Importantly, the number of languages studied has increased by 200 per
cent, from 17 to 51. We have for the first time community language schools teaching
important languages like Hindi; prior to this, one of the world's most
important languages was not taught, even though we have a very large South
Asian community. Another one is Swahili, one of the major East African
languages. Previously there were no after-hours classes for students or for
people who work in East Africa and wanted to have an introduction to the
language. Also, importantly, Japanese is now taught as a community language,
even though it is taught very widely in our schools. There is a growing
Japanese community in Western Australia of more than 3 000 people, and they
finally have a community language program.
We are not only supporting the schools with funding; we have
also provided professional development to more than 600 teachers and
administrators in community language schools who donate their time freely to
the sector. Over the next year we will expand our school accreditation program
and improve teacher, administrative and governance assistance. Importantly, we
are developing teacher resources for various languages, particularly linked
with Victoria, to assist them in developing curricula, translations and
electronic gear for the study of languages. This is a major initiative and has
been controversial in some sense, but it has been overwhelmingly successful
with more than 3 800 kids now studying various languages in our community on a weekly
basis.
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