A reception took place on Wednesday 21 February hosted by Ms Gill Callister, Secretary of the Department of Education and Training to celebrate the International Mother Language Day.  Professor Jo Lo Bianco of the University of Melbourne and author of “Resolving ethnolinguistic conflict in multi-ethnic societies,” was the guest speaker. He talked about the Salzburg Statement For A Multilingual World, calling for policies that value and uphold multilingualism and language rights.

Teaching the children to be bilingual not only improves their English skills, but also makes them a better communicator and more reactive person, increasing their chances of success at school and in their future professional life. Some good arguments to debate in English and French with your children !

Japanese students from Huntingdale Primary School

The Victorian Government, as part of its broader Education State Reform program, is ensuring that all Victorian children have access to high-quality languages education. This includes supporting the maintenance of mother languages. The Department of Education and Training strongly encourages parents speaking their home language with their children and has developed a series of posters to that effect.