Page 3862 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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We must also recognise that bilingual programs require a reliable supply of teachers with both teaching qualifications and high levels of proficiency in the target language. And there is no doubt this is an area of skill shortage generally.
Providing properly trained staff and delivering professional development in curriculum requires significant investment. And while the establishment of additional bilingual schools will take time, many opportunities exist now for students wishing to immerse themselves in a language. The virtual learning environment to be rolled out in all ACT schools next year, ACT public schools particularly, allows for this.
In conclusion, I thank Ms Porter for her ongoing interest in ensuring ACT public schools remain at the forefront of education in Australia and I appreciate her interest in, and support for, the government’s long-term vision in language education.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella) (12.09): I welcome this motion being brought forward by Ms Porter. It is a particularly important one. To address Mr Doszpot’s point, it is a mistake for any parliament to assume that non-executive members are merely mouthpieces for the government of the day. They actually have brains and they actually can think for themselves, curiously. So every now and again a motion is developed through a non-executive member because that particular non-executive member has a commitment to that particular issue. That is the case here today.
I have to tell you that, had Ms Porter not put this motion forward, I was thinking about doing something myself along these very lines. The coincidence being, of course, that on Saturday night it is the annual dinner for the Ethnic Schools Association, and it is timely, therefore, to give some consideration to this. Any members who have been invited to that dinner and who were thinking about ducking out, I urge you to reconsider, as it will be a very entertaining evening, I can absolutely assure you, because I will be there.
I wanted to congratulate Ms Hunter—I will tell you why in a tick, Steve; you will love it—because she brought forward a point that is often forgotten in the discussion and the conversation around the teaching of languages—that is, bilingual education is as much for people for whom English is a second language as it is for people whose native tongue is English. Often we talk about the way in which you can immerse yourself in a culture is through the language, music and cuisine of a particular culture. So should it be that, if we want people to immerse in our culture and our language and all the rest of it, we should do it through the teaching of English in all of its colourful forms. I do think that was a particularly salient point, and I congratulate Ms Hunter on bringing that forward.
For the record, Mr Speaker, it needs to be said that we have a number of different models for teaching language in this city. We have the recreational opportunity that you get through such places as Alliance Francaise, the Goetha Institute and some of our colleges for recreational language training and education. I have done a bit of that myself and it is absolutely fantastic. But put that aside for a second. When we are talking about teaching younger people, we have language opportunities through our mainstream schools. That is one model. We have bilingual schools. That is another
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