It is early on a Sunday morning in Sydney's north, but, for a handful of Year 12 students, school is in session.
Gathered around a tape recorder with pens and paper in hand, they are studying the writing component of the Hindi language syllabus for the Higher School Certificate.
Surbhi Malik is a 15-year-old student at the Hindi School.
"I've also got India, which is a big part of my life because I grew up in an Indian family. So I chose Hindi as a way to stay in touch with that."
A fellow student, 17-year-old Rishabh Malmotra, says he views Hindi as a worthwhile investment for his future business dealings.
"I'm thinking of doing a business degree, and, as you know, India is the fastest growing major economy, so learning Hindi will give me some advantage."
The Australia in the Asian Century government white paper, or information paper, listed Hindi as a priority language four years ago.
But Surbhi Malik and Rishabh Malmotra are two of just 20 students across New South Wales studying Hindi at a senior level.
The founder of the IABBV Hindi School, Mala Mehta, says there are not enough Hindi students to offer classes during the mainstream school timetable.
"Governments need to give incentives to school children to study a language other than English, because Australia is very multicultural now. And until the base is strong in languages from primary school onwards, it's not going to reflect in high school."
The IABBV Hindi School is one of several programs that receive funding from the state government to conduct out of hours, community language classes for school age students.
Despite the funding, of the 77,000 students doing the Higher School Certificate in New South Wales this year, for example, only 8 per cent are enrolled in a language course.
The New South Wales government says it is focusing on an early start strategy to progress language studies throughout students' school lives.
At the International Grammar School in central Sydney, every child learns a second and third language.
The director of language at the school, Rosalba Genua-Petrovich, says most of the Year 12 students will sit at least one language exam this week.
"We really believe that, to learn a language well and to feel confident and competent in that language, it needs time and investment. And that's what we're really providing and offering to these students."
