Australian Schools Add Aboriginal Languages

New South Wales (NSW) has been a leading force in governmental programs to preserve and promote Australia’s Aboriginal languages. Now, more than ten years after the introduction of NSW’s first Aboriginal Languages Policy in 2004, Australia is finally seeing a breakthrough. In 2016 Aboriginal languages will become a new Higher School Certificate (HSC) subject in NSW schools. “There are approximately 35 Aboriginal languages in New South Wales, with 19 being taught across NSW, and more than 100 dialects,” said Education Minister Adrian Piccoli. “This new course will help maintain this critical part of Aboriginal cultures.”

The language courses will count towards students’ HSC, but will not contribute to the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) because the courses will be content-based rather than exam-based. Professor Jakelin Troy told Huffington Post Australia that this is a point of controversy, citing that students in New Zealand can pursue higher education in indigenous languages. “Until Aboriginal languages have official recognition, and are taught in a meaningful and systematic way, attitudes towards these languages will remain indifferent at best and ignored at worst,” Troy concluded.

The move to implement these courses is still promising however and does more to provide Aboriginal students with a more inclusive curriculum. “This course will aid Aboriginal young people to become the future custodians and caretakers of their languages and empower them to maintain a strong sense of identity,” said Aboriginal Affairs Minister Leslie Williams. “For non-Aboriginal young people it will provide them with a deeper understanding of the world’s oldest living cultures. Partnerships between schools and their local Aboriginal communities will enable knowledge holders to provide expertise and guidance to classroom teachers.”