MOST Victorian public primary schools are failing to teach the recommended 150 minutes of languages a week, with Australian students spending less time learning a second language than any other students in the industrialised world.
An Education Department report says only 56 per cent of state primary schools and half of high schools offer a continuous languages program where students can study the same language over time.
The report – which outlines a 10-year plan aimed at increasing student participation in learning languages and reviving Aboriginal languages – also says there are too few new languages teachers entering the workforce.