Australia welcomes linguistic diversity; students to learn Punjabi in public schools

Punjabi is going to be the newest language to be added to public schools' curriculum in Western Australia. The curriculum creation for grades pre-primary through 12 will take place this year, wherein students will be offered an option to study Punjabi, Education Minister Sue Ellery made the announcement last month.

"I am pleased to see the ongoing expansion of languages curriculum for WA students, and the development of Punjabi curriculum is particularly fitting given it could support students in key future employment opportunities," Ellery said in a press release.

With more than 190 languages being spoken in the state, linguistic diversity is a major strength that offers a number of social, cultural, and economic advantages, she added.

The decision was made considering the fact that almost 239,000 people speak Punjabi at home, meaning, it is the fastest-growing language in the country, SBS Punjabi reported. A census taken in 2021 revealed there’s an 80% rise in Punjabi language speakers compared to 2016.

A curriculum for the inclusion of the language is currentlybeing developed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority.

After Tamil, Hindi and Korean were added to the curriculum in 2021, the decision to teach Punjabi in schools was made. The following academic year will see the introduction of the Hindi, Koranic, and Tamil curricula.

Watch | Saudi schools to teach Chinese language

According to SBS Punjabi, schools will have access to the pre-primary to Year 10 curriculum beginning in 2024. The same year, students should be able to enroll in Year 11 courses too. The first Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) course assessment is scheduled for 2025.

Prior to the inclusion of language, Australian Sikh history was taught in the Humanities and Social Sciences courses in WA schools for years 5, 6, and 9.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: