Victorian students can learn Hindi and Punjabi at school, thanks to the Allan Labor Government.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll announced 18 Hindi and Punjabi language teachers are starting in Victorian public schools this term.
The graduates are the first to complete Monash University’s landmark Languages Methodology Course for Hindi and Punjabi.
Studying languages other than English creates important links for multicultural students with their heritage and improves literacy and communication skills.
The one-year long course equips teachers to deliver high quality Hindi and Punjabi language programs.
The 18 teachers received scholarships to study the course thanks Labor’s $150,000 investment.
This is on top of Labor’s $3.5 million investment for three beacon schools to teach Hindi and Punjabi language at VCE level.
Alkira Secondary College in Cranbourne North and Wyndham Central College in Werribee teach Hindi, and Mount Ridley P-12 College in Craigieburn teaches Punjabi.
The three schools also provide support and resources for teachers of Hindi or Punjabi at other schools.
These new programs will encourage more students to learn the two languages at a VCE level.
Hindi and Punjabi are rapidly growing languages and are in high demand in our schools.
Victoria has the highest Indian population in Australia – according to census data, there are more than 170,000 Victorians who speak Hindi and Punjabi in our state.
We are investing in Victoria’s teaching workforce through a new four-year Language Teaching Scholarship Program, giving more teachers the opportunity to upgrade their qualifications and specialise in language teaching – starting Semester 2 this year.
Only Labor is backing in education in Victoria with a record $38.6 billion investment in our public schools.
As stated by Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll
“The efforts of this talented group of teachers will strengthen intercultural connections in our schools.”
“We’re making sure we have teachers who can meet the growing demand for Hindi and Punjabi teachers in Victorian schools.”
