Victorian Premier John Brumby has sent a letter supporting the inclusion of Modern Greek in the national curriculum to the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

The letter builds on the campaign which has seen State and Federal politicians from across Australia come out in support of Modern Greek.

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Prime Minister,

I write in support of the inclusion of the Greek language as a priority language within the National Curriculum,

The Commonwealth Government’s leadership in bringing together all Australian Jurisdictions in developing a national curriculum is to be commended. Delivery of a consistently high-quality curriculum to all Australian children will be a significant achievement for the federation.

I note that a specific National Curriculum for languages is being developed by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and that this body will submit recommendations to the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs for approval.

I understand that as part of this process ACARA may identify key or “priority” languages to be included as part of the National Curriculum.

I am aware that the Rudd Government has noted that instruction in Asian languages in particular is critical to Australia’s future prosperity and that COAG has identified four Asian languages that are to be regarded as a priority for language instruction in secondary education.

I consider that languages of cultural significance to Australia should also be considered for priority status in language instruction.

The Greek community has made an inestimably high contribution to the development of Australian society and the Greek language has a significant cultural significance not only to Victoria but to Australia as a whole.

Accordingly, it is my strong view that Greek should be included as a priority language within the National Curriculum.

Victoria is proud to have approximately 50 per cent of Australia’s Greece-born population living in our state and Melbourne has the third largest Greek population in the world, after Athens and Thessaloniki.

The vibrancy of the Greek community in Australia is reflected in the fact that Greek is the third most common language spoken at home in this country.

The Victorian Government has been proud to strongly support instruction in the Greek language over a number of years. In 1991, the Victorian Government identified Greek as a priority language for teaching in our government schools. In 2009, Greek was one of the seven most commonly taught languages in government schools and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority will continue to offer Greek as a senior secondary subject into the future.

In 2009 the Victorian Government provided funding of over $750,000 for Greek community language schools, ensuring that over 6,400 students received instruction in this key language.

Greek is also one of the top four languages with the highest enrolment numbers in the Victorian School of Languages – a significant achievement when one considers that the School provides instruction in over 40 languages.

Victoria’s Greek community strongly supports the inclusion of modern Greek in the National Curriculum.

It is a community that has maintained its own identity and traditions whilst being proud Victorians and Australians, It is this sense of identity that is driving the Greek community’s commitment to passing on its language to the next generation.

Across Australia, the ties to Greece remain strong. It is my view that these ties will be strengthened through the preservation of the Greek language.

Whilst Greek will continue to be taught in Victorian schools notwithstanding the ultimate recommendations of ACARA, I believe there are strong grounds for identifying Greek as a priority language within the National Curriculum. Victoria will advocate strongly for this through its representative on the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs.

Yours sincerely

John Brumby