Pressure on ACT government to increase language schools funding

Language school groups have joined forces in a bid to pressure the ACT Government to increase funding for ethnic language schools in the ACT.
The ACT Community Languages Schools Association (ACTCLSA) and Community Languages Australia (CLA) have prepared a submission to the ACT Government Ministers and Members of the Opposition asking for increased funding to ethnic language schools in the ACT.

President of the ACT CLSA Jayad Mehr and CLA Executive Director Stefan Romaniw met with Minister for Education the Hon Chris Bourke, Shadow Minister for Education Steve Doszpot and Minister for Multicultural Affairs the Hon Joy Burch in Canberra on Monday. This meeting is expected to increase government understanding of community languages schools and result in a more efficient funding procedure.

The ACT Community Languages Schools Election Submission plans to "create better opportunities to meet quality assurance standards, which will lead to better educational outcomes; increase opportunities for training, professional and materials development; and minimise the huge strain on community resources which are now stretched to the limit."

It requests that the ACT government takes over much of the funding that is already being supplied by the local community. More specifically, the submission requests that the government increase its funding from 2013-2016 to $110 per capita, supply $1000 administration support per school, increase administrative support funding, provide $10,000 annually for professional development and attend to the current rental costs to schools in Government buildings.

Mr Romaniw said: "Each week close to 2000 students study a range of 33 languages. Every week over 10,000-15,000 students, parents, siblings and community members engage with the community languages school sector."

Mr Mehr added that "in the lead up to the 2012 election ACTCLSA and CLA call on the all political parties to seriously consider the impact community languages schools play in delivering a vital asset to the ACT i.e languages - and a platform for harmony and social cohesion. These need to be adequately resourced."