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Learning a language is a lifelong gift. It enriches our lives, giving children and adults an understanding of other cultures and deepening our understanding of our own.
Yet fewer students are enrolling in language courses in Australian schools than ever.
As education editor Christopher Harris writes, research has consistently shown that studying a second language comes with broad cognitive benefits for children.
Language teacher Emilia Crino told Harris: “The literature on learning another language is there, and it’s been shoved down our throats, and we’re ignoring it.”
Learning a second language helps with maths skills, pattern building and even improves English literacy, Crino says. In-depth study of a second language’s grammar, sentence structures and the origins of words opens the mind to seeing English in a new light, giving students a more profound understanding of the hidden rules of our own language.
In 2012, the Gillard government proposed that every Australian child should learn an Asian language. In a policy white paper titled “Australia in the Asian Century”, Gillard argued that Asia’s rise as a global economic force was unstoppable, and Australians must jump on board.
Specifically Mandarin, Japanese and Indonesian were listed as top priorities for education.
A deadline of 2025 was set to achieve this bold policy endeavour, but Gillard’s dream never materialised. Harris reports that the number of public school students studying beginner Japanese halved to 259 compared with a decade ago.
Similar plans by the Hawke and Keating governments that urged Australians to learn Bahasa Indonesia also failed. Indonesia is our closest and largest neighbour, and it now has the world’s fourth-largest population, with 290 million people.
In contrast, 89 per cent of students in Europe learn English as a second language. (Many speak many languages.) This is something Australian travellers take for granted on their summer jaunts to countries where locals speak fluent English.
Yet, we don’t extend that same welcome to our visitors: Very few Australian students learn a second language. In Australia, 6 per cent of HSC students studied a second language, and in public primary schools the number fell from 80,000 in 2016 to 70,000 in 2024.
Studying languages is an immersion in another culture, opening children’s minds to different ways of life, foods, culture, religions, music and art.
In an increasingly multicultural Australia, but also one more divided than ever, extending this invaluable education in school curriculums is surely of societal benefit.
Challenging the ability for schools to offer a full language program is a lack of staff. As Harris reported, Newtown High School of Performing Arts advertised for a French teacher and found someone to fill the position only when they offered a $20,000 recruitment bonus.
Teachers feel pressure to dumb down their language classes to make the subject more fun, Harris reported. And some students don’t choose to study languages for the HSC because they fear they will scale poorly.
We should encourage Australian students to have a curious and open mind about other cultures. If Australia is to have a globally respected education system, it must include strong language curriculums and more language teachers.
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