Page 669 - Week 02 - Thursday, 20 February 2020
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forget the sacrifices people have made to ensure the continuation of their language, their culture and their heritage.
Language Movement Day represents sacrifices made by the people of Bangladesh to secure respect for their mother tongue, Bengali. The Bangladeshi people staged many protests throughout the late 1940s and into the early 1950s to defend their language and culture. This fight for recognition escalated on 21 February 1952, when a number of student activists were killed by police during protests. Their deaths spurred the movement on, and in 1956 the constitution of Pakistan was amended to include Bengali as an official language. This change can be attributed to the determination of the Bangladeshi people to continually highlight the importance of language to their culture, heritage and way of life.
It was the passion of the Bangladeshi people that made UNESCO choose 21 February as International Mother Language Day. Coincidentally, in 2020 this day also happens to be the start of the Multicultural Festival in Canberra. Currently, there are over 170 different languages spoken throughout the ACT. The 2016 census showed that around one in four Canberrans speak a language other than English at home. With each passing year our society is growing more multilingual and the assortment of languages is increasing.
The ability to learn and speak a different language provides great benefits to individuals. Studies have shown the individual benefits to include better problem-solving skills, increased focus and concentration, and even delaying the onset of conditions such as dementia. Not only does multilingualism provide personal benefits but also it offers economic and cultural benefits to society.
I would like to recognise in particular the ACT Community Language Schools Association and thank them for all their hard work in growing, promoting and supporting language education in the territory. As a peak body, the association is currently affiliated with one playgroup and 51 schools, covering 39 different languages. These playgroups and schools have 405 teachers, and a total of 2,733 students in the territory, with 2,126 of those students funded in 2019.
I would like to thank the committee members of the ACT Community Language Schools Association for their excellent work in fostering language education: the president, Dr Fuxin Li; the vice-president, Ms Tanya Butler; the secretary, Mr Rohan Weliwita; the treasurer, Ms Jinfang Tian; and committee members Ms Galina Amelina, Mr Santosh Gupta and Ms Priya Jeevaranjan.
Canberra is fortunate to have a large number of community language schools, all staffed by talented and passionate individuals. These schools have dedicated and tireless teachers, many working full time and volunteering to teach in the evenings and on weekends to share their knowledge with the community.
Language and culture are intrinsically linked. Language is a touchstone that binds people together. We have an energetic multicultural community in Canberra, and many migrants are passionate about preserving their heritage and leaving a legacy for the next generation.
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