On July 17, the New South Wales Federation of Community Language Schools hosted a dinner in Sydney, which was attended by hundreds of teachers, children's music and dance groups, winners of children's competitions. Members of the NSW Government and Shadow Cabinet attended and spoke at the meeting.
Australia is home to more than 200 ethnic groups today, and about half of NSW's residents either came from other countries themselves or their parents. To make such a diversity of cultures and traditions in the country an advantage, and not an obstacle to the development of the country, is not an easy task and requires great and constant efforts of the federal and state governments.
One of the ways to create a dynamic cohesive society is to support the preservation of the language and cultural traditions of ethnic groups. In NSW, the Federation of Community Language Schools was created 45 years ago, which helps to obtain premises for education, provides financial support to school administrations depending on the number of students. Grants for these purposes are allocated by the State Department of Education.
The NSW federation has hundreds of school, which teach in more than fifty different languages. Among this number there are several Russian schools. The meeting was attended by teachers and administration of the Russian schools of A. Nevsky in Concorde, St. Nicholas, "Harmony", St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Andrei Bogolyubsky. At the annual dinner, the Federations sum up the work of schools and outline new plans, receive a message from the government about the allocation of new grants.
State Premier Chris Minns, in a video message to attendees, said that a third of the state's schoolchildren have families associated with languages other than English. “This is a huge asset to our economy in a globalized world. We want to make learning easier and more accessible for every child who wants to learn a language.” He told an audience of several hundred foreign language teachers, "Community language schools are a bridge that connects children to their heritage and the culture of their families."
Vice Premier and Education Minister Prue Cart, congratulating the Federation, said: “For generations, it has helped build social cohesion in one of the most culturally diverse nations in the world, with more than 270 languages spoken. We now have a responsibility to preserve this linguistic wealth for future generations. The State Government recognizes the importance of preserving a child's second language and is committed to increasing funding for the Local Language School Program. Currently, these schools, 565 schools and affiliates teach 72 languages to more than 33,000 students.”
Federation President Lucia Jones told guests that "The Federation is doing everything possible to help communities preserve their language and culture in New South Wales and Australia." Other speakers at the meeting included opposition leader Mark Speakman, Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar and Chief Executive Officer of Multicultural New South Wales Joseph La Posta.
Vladimir KOUZMIN
