Teaching Hindi And Punjabi In Victorian Schools

A re-elected Andrews Labor Government will make sure Victorian students who want to learn Hindi and Punjabi at school can do so, by investing in opportunities to study languages in the west, north and south eastern suburbs.

Victoria has the highest Indian population in Australia – according to census data, there are more than 170,000 Victorians who speak Hindi and Punjabi in our state.

More than 20 languages other than English are taught at Victorian government schools – but there are limited options for students to learn Hindi and no schools offering Punjabi language study onsite.

Studying language at school creates important links for multicultural Victorians with their heritage, while also improving literacy and communication skills in English.

That’s why a re-elected Andrews Labor Government will invest $3.5 million to create beacon schools to teach Hindi and Punjabi at VCE level.

This funding will support three schools to teach Hindi and Punjabi at VCE level.

Funding will support at least one school in the west, one in the north and one in the south east that teach Hindi and Punjabi, ensuring a broad geographic spread for students.

We’ll also invest $150,000 to deliver scholarships worth $15,000 each, to support Victorians who want to train and teach Hindi and Punjabi in our schools.

You can’t trust Matthew Guy’s Liberals when it comes to supporting Victoria’s multicultural communities – they don’t value our multicultural communities unless it’s an election year.

Only Labor is doing what matters. We have a proven track record of backing multicultural communities and we show our support not just with words, but with action.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Victoria has the biggest Indian population in Australia – it makes sense to teach Hindi and Punjabi in Victorian schools.”

“Labor is doing what matters, supporting students to learn Hindi and Punjabi and making sure Victorians with Indian heritage can connect to their culture.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ros Spence

“Only Labor is doing what matters, promoting diversity, inclusion and supporting multicultural communities.”

 Quote attributable to Labor Member for Cranbourne Pauline Richards

“I’m so proud to represent an electorate that is home to many proud Indian languages. This investment in our schools will ensure Indian communities in the south east are supported to pass on their language and culture to the next generation.”