Final preparations are being made to intensify the teaching of Indigenous languages in Australian schools.
It's one of the provisions of the new National Curriculum that's in the final stages of being introduced across the country.
As Peggy Giakoumelos reports, the new curriculum will take into account the Indigenous language programs that are already underway in some schools.
A recent inquiry by a federal parliamentary committee found that over 16,000 Indigenous students and 13,000 non-Indigenous students in 260 Australian schools were involved in Indigenous language programs.
But the inquiry report also found there was a lack of national consistency in how Indigenous languages are being taught, with only New South Wales having a stand-alone policy on the issue.
To try to address this problem, the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority is devising a national framework on Indigenous language teaching, to be introduced as part of the new National Curriculum.
Until that's introduced, individual schools are continuing to implement their own Indigenous language programs.
While most schools choose either a European or Asian language, Woolgoolga High School on the NSW North Coast is one that has chosen to incorporate an Aboriginal language as well.
Larry Hancock teaches the Gumbaynggirr language.
"(Gumbaynggirr language and then translation into English). Which means hello how are you, my name is Larry and it would be good to meet you all."
Principal of Woolgoolga High, Guy Wright, says embracing the local Aboriginal language has stimulated students' overall interest in language-learning.
"I've only been here two years and when I arrived the students were not really engaged in learning French. If you like they weren't picking up the subject in years 9 and 10. So what I wanted to do was create an environment to make it fun in the classroom. I had a teacher on staff who was a language teacher and hadn't been teaching language for a number of years, but he was learning the Gumbaynggirr language and he came to me and he said wouldn't it be great if we could replace the LOTE (Languages Other Than English) and do the 100 hours of the Gumbaynggirr with all the year 7 classes. So we put that in place and for years nine and 10 we're going to offer the three languages, Gumbaynggirr, we're going to do French and we're going to do Japanese, so we can cross-pollinate. And what's really happening now that's great is that the students are really engaged in it they really like coming to the classes and I think we're going to get a much larger intake of students wanting to study languages in the school."
Larry Hancock says he started learning Gumbaynggirr through Aboriginal teachers in the local community.
He says Aboriginal students especially have responded well to the change in focus.
"A lot of them have have learnt it from the primary school as well so for them it is continuous. They've learnt it in primary school and now they've come to high school and they've been able to continue it. Non-indigenous, some of them had learnt. Some of the primary schools had introduced it and for them it was something new. Initially the reaction was very, very positive, and for most of the students that's continued. At the moment we're learning most of the places around here mean, rather than just being words. They actually know what they mean, so they get the culture, because we explain what does that word mean. Why are those towns called those towns and why are those places called those places and what does it mean?"
Chair of Linguistics and Endangered Languages at the University of Adelaide, Professor Ghilad Zuckermann (ghee-lard ZOO-kah-men) says it's been shown that it's important for students to be taught any languages other than English.
But he's pleased about the move to expand teaching of Indigenous languages in Australian schools.
"It does not actually matter whether you study Chinese or Gumbayngirr or Italian. As long as you study a language which is not your own. The main advantage is the cognitive empowerment. And we have research which shows when you learn a foreign language or languages you actually become cleverer in simplistic terms. So the other thing I would argue is that if you teach an Aboriginal language, it results in educational empowerment for Aboriginal people outside of language. So I would argue that it's wonderful to have the Aboriginal language of the area being taught simple because a white fellow or a Sikh from Punjab or whatever ought to know the history of this particular region. So there is a harmonious reconciliation element as well. So from any angle you look at it, I think it's very beautiful to be bi-lingual or multi-lingual."
The language learning elements of the new National Curriculum, including guidelines for the teaching of Indigenous languages and culture, are expected to be finalised by the end of this year.
This would make them available for implemention by the states and territories early next year.
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