Australia’s Future Tied to Asian Language Plan

The Australian government recently released “Australia in the Asian Century” White Paper, an ambitious proposal to improve relations with five major Asian countries: China, Indonesia, India, Japan, and South Korea. 300 pages outline 25 reformative objectives that focus largely on Asian language as a means of tapping into Asia’s emerging economic and political influence.

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By 2025, the paper anticipates that the school system will be in the world’s top five, that ten universities will rank among the world’s top 100, and that all schools will have access to at least one priority Asian language, namely Hindi, Indonesian, Mandarin, or Japanese. To support language teaching, all schools will engage with at least one school in Asia using the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Many remain skeptical regarding the plausibility of achieving such ambitious reforms. While the NBN serves as a valuable resource, it won’t replace the need for quality language training nor will it solve the issue of teacher funding. Moreover, Asian language studies have plunged to dangerously low depths. For example, reports indicate that the number of university students studying Indonesian dropped by 37% between 2001 and 2012.

These goals will demand long-term support if they are to be taken seriously.  The Gillard government has yet to commit specific resources or indicate how the policy will be monitored and adapted over time. It will also need to address questions regarding the sustainability of Asia’s growth rates and what the economic impact will be for Asia’s developmental gaps in education.

On a positive note, the new cross-cultural curriculum has the potential to serve as a great collaborative platform for educational enthusiasts and organizations. A current example is the Autralia-China Youth Association (ACYA), which ventures to promote Chinese studies in Australian schools through the Engaging China Project (ECP). ACYA plans to use the momentum from the White Paper’s release to expand its networks, aiming to increase the awareness of 40,000 high school students by 2014.

ACYA’s National President, Jeff Sheehy, comments, “We’re also glad to see that Australian decision makers across the board will be encouraged to gain deeper knowledge and expertise of the countries and issues important to our region.”

Creative Commons Love: Michel Sutyadi on Flickr

Written by Alice Formwalt