Page 5019 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 28 November 2018
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The Canberra Liberals value the importance of second languages in our community. In September last year Mr Coe brought forward a motion in this chamber marking the importance of mother languages and we will continue to commit to ensuring that our children are better prepared for a global future. I would like to think that the Labor and Greens members would see the importance of these issues and support my motion as is. However, I will not hold my breath.
The importance of languages for our future generation is too important an issue and I implore all members to support my motion. Our future generations will thank you for it.
MS BERRY (Ginninderra—Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister for Housing and Suburban Development, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Minister for Sport and Recreation and Minister for Women) (5.56): On behalf of the government, I move the amendment circulated in my name:
Omit paragraphs (1)(e) to (i) and paragraph (2), substitute:
“(e) the ACT Government’s Future of Education Strategy highlights the importance of students learning to ‘participate effectively and respectfully in a diverse society’ and schools operating with inclusion so that ‘diversity in all its forms’ is embraced;
(f) the ACT Public Schools Curriculum Requirements Policy and associated procedures require all ACT government schools to provide a language program in one of eight priority languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Indonesian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean);
(g) decisions about the language offering at a particular school are made by the school community including school leaders, teachers and parents;
(h) ACT government schools have been prioritising work on developing appropriately localised Aboriginal language education including senior secondary courses, in close consultation with the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community; and
(i) there is an opportunity to improve how the ACT Government:
(i) strategically delivers language education in Canberra schools;
(ii) builds teacher capability and capacity to deliver language education in Canberra schools; and
(iii) ensures a learning pathway for students from preschool or kindergarten through to college in study of a particular language; and
(2) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) develop an action plan to encourage, improve and support language education in Canberra schools as part of implementing the Future of Education Strategy;
(b) consult with the Community Language Schools Association as part of developing this action plan; and
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