A delegation from Pharos Alliance has held important meetings with the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne and officials from the Department of Education and Training (DET), addressing the key subject of Greek language teaching.
The meetings have taken place over the past few weeks with Pharos Alliance engaging in discussions with Victorian DET officials Sedar Altun, Nicholas Douros and Chelsea McGlashan.
It served as a helpful follow-up from a meeting in 2024 with the Minister for Education in 2024.
In addition to that, members of Pharos Alliance also met with the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Dimitra Georgantzoglou.
Various items were raised in the discussions with the Department officials, including potential support for an after-hours Greek literacy program at Clarinda Primary School, which has an established Greek language program, and continued support for the state’s only Greek Bilingual program at Lalor North Primary School.
They also discussed the Department’s exploration of VIT and permission to teach in order to deal with a shortage of language teachers, as well as the Department’s ongoing support for the work of Pharos Alliance.
In the meeting with the Consul General at the offices of the Consulate, they elaborated on their organisation, the work they do and their key objectives.
Pharos Alliance’s press release on the meetings noted the Consul General was aware of the challenges facing Greek language teaching in the diaspora and was receptive to any work done to halt the decline and create chances for it to flourish.
“We take our advocacy role seriously and wish to continue to consult with the community to review our work, take stock of needs and requests from the community and revise and modify priorities if this is needed,” said the Pharos Alliance President, Professor Joseph Lo Bianco.
“Hence, we have organised a series of regular Open Meetings, commencing with one scheduled for 7.00pm on Wednesday 28 May at the Greek Centre.”
