When Mailie Ross enrolled in the Hindi language program at La Trobe University, she was hoping to connect with her partner's Indian heritage and help pass that culture on to her 15-month-old daughter.
Key points:
- Enrolments have been down in some Asian language courses in the past few years
- Cutting them from universities goes against Australia best interests, academics say
- Students, academics, experts and officials have all voiced their support for Asian language courses
But following the university's proposal to scrap their Hindi, Indonesian and Greek language programs in the face of a tightening budget for humanities courses, Ms Ross may be running out of options to pursue her dream.
"I would be really disappointed if they didn't maintain something for us," she said.
La Trobe University in Melbourne and the Australian National University in Canberra host the two remaining university-level Hindi language programs in Australia.
Dr Ian Woolford has coordinated the Hindi language program at La Trobe University for six years and has spent the last two weeks compiling a proposal to the school of Humanities and Social Sciences in an attempt to keep the program alive.
Enrolments in both Hindi and Indonesian at La Trobe University have declined in recent years, he said, putting them on the chopping block as universities struggle with a dip in enrolments.
"They [La Trobe University] know these languages are important, but they're truly being forced into a terrible position because of the financial situation," he said.
"Even though the Hindi program might not be a money maker at the moment, it was part of a long-term strategy that was expected to pay off down the road as the Australia-India relationship develops."
According to the 2016 Census, Hindi was among the fastest growing languages in Australia, with nearly 160,000 people speaking it at home.
And with an estimated 550 million speakers, Hindi is the fourth most-spoken language in the world.
Embassy, academics, community and students in the fight
It's not just students of Hindi who are concerned.
La Trobe University Indonesian studies lecturer Linda Sukamta told the ABC she was "shocked" when she found out her program may be cut.
Ms Sukamta said she hoped enough public pressure would help it survive, despite acknowledging enrolments had been declining during the past five years.
In response to the proposed cuts, the Indonesian embassy in Canberra has offered its support by writing a letter to La Trobe University.
The La Trobe Bahasa Indonesia Students Association has created an online petition to save Indonesian language studies.
More than 2,200 people have signed, including members of the wider Indonesian community in Australia.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment said the Government does not decide what courses universities cut or continue.
But Professor Edward Aspinall, the President of Asian Studies Association of Australia, said the Government could have a role in stopping the closure of Asian language programs.
Earlier this week, Western Australia's Murdoch University also announced plans to cut its Indonesian language program, which it has offered since the 70s.
A spokesperson said the "difficult decision" to drop it after next year was made due to insufficient demand and funding changes.
"With fewer than 10 enrolments each year over the last three years, it is not a viable offering," the spokesperson told the ABC.
After hearing about the plan, David T Hill, an Emeritus Professor who taught in the Indonesian program at Murdoch University for more than 25 years, described it as "a horror and shock".
"A university which has such a long and respected Indonesian language program would take such action at a time when it clearly goes against Australia's best interest."
What happened with Australia in the Asian Century?
In 2012, the Gillard government released the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper.
Among other things, it outlined the need to improve Australia's Asian language literacy in order to maintain long-term political and economic relationships in the region.
The paper suggested prioritising the study of four Asian languages: Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese.
But despite the insistence of the importance of connecting with the region, the ability for Australians to engage in the culture of these nations has diminished over time.
From a peak of six Hindi programs in 1997, La Trobe University's proposal to scrap their course could leave the Australian National University as the sole university with a dedicated program in the country.
It's a similar story for Indonesian studies.
In 1992, there were up to 22 university programs available to students across Australia, but there's now only 14.
Professor Aspinall said the Asian Century report "has been largely been abandoned" by the Federal Government, although there was the New Colombo Plan, under which Australian students are able to visit countries in the region.
The Asian Studies Association of Australia has confirmed the number of universities offering an Indonesian language program had "really declined".
Other Asian language programs, such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean were "relatively healthy", but that's because of the increasing number of enrolment of international students.
"But the numbers there don't really reflect the development of Asian language capacity among Australian citizens," Professor Aspinall said.
A 'shortage' of Asian experts
In similar fashion, Footscray Primary School has decided to replace its Vietnamese bilingual program with an Italian language one.
A group of parents whose children go to the school have created a petition to save the Vietnamese bilingual program, and it has been signed by more than 17,500 people.
A spokesperson from Footscray Primary School said standalone Vietnamese classes would continue to be taught.
"Unfortunately, the school was not able to recruit Vietnamese bilingual teachers with the skills and language competency required to use the second language in specialist curriculum areas," the spokesperson said.
Dr Woolford said the paucity of Asian language programs was leaving Australia ill-equipped to navigate its future.
"There's a huge imbalance here," he said.
"Indian diplomats and Indian business people know what's happening on the ground in Australia, because they often have English knowledge, but their Australian counterparts do not have the same knowledge in India."
Diminishing language studies could affect Australia's future
Dr Woolford said the ABC's exclusive report, which found the Federal Government used Google Translate for critical public health messaging during the pandemic, exemplified the lack of qualified foreign language professionals in Australia.
"I imagine it would be hard for the Government to find experts in all the languages that it needs, because Australia hasn't properly invested in community languages over the years," he said.
"So while they very correctly understood the need to get information out in as many languages as possible, there probably was a shortage of experts to call on to get this done."
The Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) has consistently voiced their concern on this topic.
In a survey of academics, the organisation identified what they described as a "gradual hollowing out" of Australian expertise in China studies.
Professor Aspinall said the decrease in the study of Asian languages in Australia was "bad" for relationships with countries in the region.
"Because it takes depth out of the relationship," Professor Aspinall said.
In light of the news coming out of La Trobe University, the ASAA has urged the Government to step in.
"The time is ripe for serious reinvestment in Asia expertise, including by finding ways to safeguard vital programs in Asian languages amidst the current financial shock being experienced in the university sector," it said.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTA1L2FzaWFuLWxhbmd1YWdlLXByb2dyYW1zLWZpZ2h0cy10by1zdGF5LWhpbmRpLWluZG9uZXNpYW4vMTI5MzQwOTbSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTI5MzQwOTY?oc=5
2020-12-04 19:29:00Z
CBMiZ2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTA1L2FzaWFuLWxhbmd1YWdlLXByb2dyYW1zLWZpZ2h0cy10by1zdGF5LWhpbmRpLWluZG9uZXNpYW4vMTI5MzQwOTbSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTI5MzQwOTY
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Axing Asian language courses from schools and universities may leave Australia underprepared for the future - ABC News"
Post a Comment