Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has announced the Australian Government will offer an extra $11.8 million in funding to the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program, with the participating preschools doubling in number to 5,000 across the country, in a bid to strengthen the program that currently offers Modern Greek, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Mandarin.

Announced on 15 June with the Minister for Small and Family Business, the Workplace and Deregulation Craig Laundy during a visit to a Sydney kindergarten, the increased ELLA program will also be expanded into 300 primary schools and will see additional languages added, including Korean, Vietnamese, Turkish and German.

“These additional languages mean preschools and schools can select from 13 of the world’s most common languages to give children a taste of the world and set them up with skills that will assist them in the future,” said Mr Birmingham, who envisages that children will continue to study the second language of their choice as they progress into high school and beyond.

“Learning another language is one of those life-changing skills that’s best achieved in the early years and really does create new opportunities throughout a child’s development and life,” he added.

Mr Laundy said many children in his electorate were already speaking two languages.

“It shows the propensity of young minds to grasp languages and grow with it,” he said. Laundy believes that even more children need to develop language skills to carry them through primary school and beyond, to help them confront the world and “attack it with vigour”.

Nevertheless, the most crucial question that arises in the Greek community is if young parents are committed enough to encourage and support their children in getting acquainted with the language of their ancestors.

Greek educator Mariathni Kosmarikou is optimistic that the federal government’s endorsement is an indication of the significance of learning another language, particularly Modern Greek, but says that educators and parents need to commit to the initiative and encourage children “to explore other cultures”.

“Studies have concluded that learning a different language is a great asset to the cognitive process, therefore, commencing at an early age would certainly be very beneficial. But the responsibility should not be placed solely on the school that offers a language program. Parents ought to also contribute to the initiative by displaying an honest interest in their child’s learning that doesn’t limit the experience to simply reciting the letters of the alphabet and the colours of the rainbow,” Ms Kosmarikou told Neos Kosmos.

A second-generation Greek Australian mother of four, Eftihia* admits to empathising with the struggle to motivate her children after a long week of school filled with extracurricular activities to then attend Greek school on a Saturday morning, and says most parents she speaks to face similar challenges, particularly because their own knowledge of Greek is limited and they find themselves unable to assist, despite their good intentions.

Early childhood educator, Irini Mousiadou agrees, and says that it is unfair to simply see it as parents having lost interest in their child’s learning.

“I do believe that parents would genuinely love their children to be able to speak the language of their ancestors, but the fact that their own knowledge of Greek is limited hinders the whole process,” she said.

Ms Mousiadou says that another challenge is that families can be unclear on procedures that could assist their child’s learning, which is why the government’s language program is a positive. By introducing language as part of the school curriculum, not only is it easily accepted by students, given it is obligatory and non-negotiable for all to attend, but they also have a greater support network.

“Exposing a child to a foreign language at an early age (as early as three years old) will result in much better fluency than if they learn later in life, therefore, we need to ensure we support this initiative as parents and educators and make the conscious effort to encourage our children to develop those language abilities,” she said.

A foreign language opens doors that would not otherwise be opened. Aside from providing a competitive edge in the workforce, it also creates a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, humanity and culture, enriching one’s life and personal experiences.

“We are already behind in learning foreign languages in Australia,” said Ms Mousiadou. “It is our duty as educators and parents to ensure we give the attention this initiative deserves so that our children can thrive in the future.”

* surname withheld.