Punjabi has been named the fastest growing language in Australia in the Census of 2011 as well as 2016. It is among the 10 most spoken languages of Australia and in Victoria, it is the 7th most spoken language after English.
For the first time ever, over 5,000 preschool kids across Victoria will get a chance to learn many languages (including Punjabi) for 3 hours every week.
The Victorian government has allocated $17.9 million for the ‘Early Childhood Language’ program, which will give the opportunity to 160 kindergartens to offer weekly sessions in 15 languages.
The program will be rolled out from 2019 - regardless of the outcome of the November 24 elections.
Jenny Mikakos, Minister for Early Childhood Education told SBS "“We are living in a very globally connected world and so we need to make sure that children have the opportunity to learn a language other than English at the earliest opportunity.”
Parents won't be asked to pay any extra fees for this program, which is fully funded by the Victorian government.
Ms Mikakos said, "This is a first for Australia and opens very exciting opportunities to Victorian children."
Punjabi is the only Indian sub-continental language which has been chosen by the Victorian government, to be rolled out in this program. Other languages include Mandarin, Arabic, Italian, Japanese, French, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish and indigenous languages.
"The choice of languages has been guided by communities, kindergarten staff, parents and other interest groups, as well as the availability of qualified teachers," said Ms Mikakos.
A child learning the Punjabi alphabet Source: SBS Punjabi
SBS Punjabi has contacted the Minister's office and learnt that only one Victorian kinder will be offering Punjabi language learning from 2019 onwards.
A spokesperson for the Minister said, "There was an open tender process for kinders and early learning services to apply and submit which languages they would like to be teaching. Through this competitive process, 15 languages were chosen across 160 services.To date, Punjabi will be taught at one of the 160, being the Jindi Kindergarten and Extended Care service in Mernda."
When asked if other kindergartens can now apply to be part of the program, the spokesperson indicated that it's too late for any other language or kinder to be added to the program being rolled out in 2019.
"Kinders were asked to consult widely as part of their application, including with staff, parents and the broader community to assess which languages were right for them. The tender has now closed. And the successful kinders have been announced," SBS Punjabi was told.
SBS is celebrating a love of learning languages in Australia in our SBS National Languages Competition from 15 October to 18 November. For the first time, this year’s competition is open to Australians of all ages who are learning a language, including those learning English. To find out more, visit www.sbs.com.au/nlc18
