I appreciate Dean Kalimniou’s concerns about the future of the Greek language in Australia. Many of us share them. I write to emphasise, since it seems that many people are not yet aware of PHAROS, that there has been a concerted effort over the past few years, progressively gaining momentum, to implement a Strategic Plan to revitalise the teaching of the Greek language from pre-school to tertiary levels, as well as to increase the general use of Greek in Australia.
This is the first time we have come together as a community – before a crisis – to work collectively towards securing the future vitality of our language. PHAROS is a broad-based, community-wide alliance spearheaded by the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria and facilitated by an eminent expert in language education, Professor Emeritus Joseph Lo Bianco.
PHAROS is a group of organisations and individuals working on a voluntary basis on all aspects of a long-term plan for Greek in Australia. Anyone who is interested in this cause is welcome to join us – we meet monthly as a group and work in sub-committees on specific projects. Laying secure foundations for the future will take time, but we are doing just that, with hard work and minimal fanfare.
To learn more about PHAROS, please take a look at our FACEBOOK page. Our immediate aim is to increase the number of students learning Greek in a formal setting across all levels. For some students, it is an appealing subject already. We are working on ways to encourage more students to study it. The results of the Pharos Student Survey, which will be presented at our Symposium in December, may also hold some of the answers to future successes.
Dr Stavroula (Stephie) Nikoloudis
Coordinator, Greek Studies Program,
La Trobe University
