The NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, Prue Carr, has praised
the work of the Federation of Community Language Schools which is supported
by around 3,500 teachers teaching sixty-one community languages to 36,000
students at 500 schools across the state.
The Minister was opening the Federation’s Annual Teachers Conference at
Sydney University.
Speaking to the conference in a prerecorded video message, Ms. Carr, described
the organisation as a powerhouse: “The impact you have on children all across
the state cannot be underestimated.
“You help kids stay connected to who they are, keeping language alive in homes
and hearts for generations.
“The NSW Government is so proud to be backing your work to be as wide
ranging as possible.
“In 2024 the Government boosted support for the eligible community language
schools with an extra $100 per student to ease the load on families and to
support the Federation’s work even further.
“The new funding will help ensure students can maintain connection to their
heritage and alleviate some of the costs that parents face in supporting their
children’s language education”, she said.
The Minister’s remarks were supported at the conference by the Parliamentary
Secretary to the Attorney General, Hugh McDermott, the Shadow Treasurer,
Damien Tudehope and the NSW Director General of Education, Murat Dizdar.
The Conference also heard from Keynote Speaker, Professor Beniko Mason of
Shitennoji University, Osaka who argued that the most effective method of
teaching children language was through storytelling or what she also referred to
in the lecture as “story listening”.
She encouraged teachers to engage students through “compelling storytelling
and fostering natural language acquisition without forced output or drills”.
Associate Professor Aniko Hatoss University of NSW University told the
conference: “Teachers today need to be reflective and open to questioning old
methods and assumptions and to shift their strategies to respond to the
numerous challenges posed by our digital era”.
She said technology (including AI) can be a game-changer, as it “allows for
innovation not only in material development but also in developing new course
design strategies and strengthening trans-local connections”.
The CEO of the Federation, Michael Christodoulou AM, has thanked the
Deputy Premier for her video message.
“We very much appreciate her time, her thoughtful words, her support and her
sincerity expressed in that message which addressed all participants at the
conference.
“New South Wales has the largest number of language schools and the most
community language students in the country”, he said.
