To help its young build fluency in Indian languages, the Australian government recently announced dedicated for Tamil , Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, Telugu and Urdu, local media reported.
With financial backing through the Fluency in Asian Languages stream of the Community Language Schools Grants Program, refined teaching resources, teacher development and expanded senior secondary classes can be expected over the next four years.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Dr Anne Aly noted that the new grants enable young Australians maintain a connection to their culture and family while building skills that strengthen Australia’s engagement with our region.
The funding comes as part of the federal Government’s A$25.6 million (S$23.3 million) investment over four years from 2025-26 in community language schools, which promotes over 80 languages to more than 90,000 students.
To benefit from the fresh funding, NSW Federation of Tamil Schools Inc will encourage Tamil language learning among secondary students through enhanced learning resources and opportunities to apply Tamil in real-world settings.
Tamil Study Centre Homebush Inc will initiate a Tamil language fluency program in Homebush before commencing an expansion across New South Wales, with online resources made available throughout Australia.
The University of Sydney will aid community language schools to implement classes for Years 7–12, provide training for more teachers and furnish nationally accessible resources.
In Canberra, the Australian National University will establish Digital Language Hubs providing resources and professional development for community language teachers.
As for Victoria, Community Languages Victoria Inc will build an online Teachers Hub and amplify Asian language learning from the middle years through to senior secondary schools.
