<div dir="ltr"><h1>Opposition's language plan has billion dollar price tag</h1>
<p class="">
Updated
<span class="">Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:12pm AEST</span>
</p>
<p class="">The Federal Opposition says its plan to dramatically
increase the numbers of high school students studying a foreign language
will cost about a billion dollars. The Coalition wants 40 per cent of
Year 12 students to be taking a language other than English within a
decade. It concedes the target is ambitious, while the Government calls
it 'unrealistic'.</p><div class="">
James Glenday</div>
<p class="">
Source: <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/pm">PM</a>
|
Duration: 3min 33sec</p>
<p class="">
<strong>Topics:</strong>
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/languages">languages</a>,
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/education">education</a>,
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/schools">schools</a>,
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/government-and-politics">government-and-politics</a>,
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/parliament-house-2600">parliament-house-2600</a>,
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/topic/act">act</a>
</p><p class=""><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/oppositions-language-plan-has-billion-dollar-price/4769624?section=act#" class=""><span>Transcript</span></a></p>
<div style="display:block" class="">
<p>PETER LLOYD: The Federal Opposition has put $1 billion price tag on its school language policy.</p><p>If
it wins in September, the Coalition will spend the money over a decade
to deliver on its promise of dramatically boosting the number of year 12
students studying a foreign language.</p><p>It admits the target is ambitious. The Government calls it unrealistic.</p><p>From Canberra, James Glenday reports.</p><p>JAMES
GLENDAY: The number of students studying languages at school has long
been in decline, and during last year's budget reply speech, the
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott promised to turn the trend around.</p><p>TONY
ABBOTT: My commitment tonight is to work urgently with the states to
ensure that at least 40 per cent of Year 12 students are once more
taking a language other than English within a decade.</p><p>MPS: Hear, hear.</p><p>JAMES GLENDAY: It's a big commitment.</p><p>According
to figures from the Education Department, only 11 per cent of year 12
students are currently studying a foreign language.</p><p>The Opposition's education spokesman Christopher Pyne concedes the target 'is tough'.</p><p>CHRISTOPHER
PYNE: It's true that there'll be less students studying a foreign
language in year 12 than there would be for example in year 11, and less
again than there will be in year 10, and that's because of the way our
university entrance system works, where people need to reach an ATAR
score and, therefore, they'll choose the subjects in which they believe
that they can maximise their chances of high scores, and that obviously
therefore means that 40 per cent over the course of their schooling is a
very achievable target.</p><p>Forty per cent of children doing it in year 12 for their ATAR scores is less achievable.</p><p>JAMES
GLENDAY: However, he says it can be done by spending about $1 billion
over a decade to train language teachers and make Asian languages in
particular "more desirable"' for students.</p><p>CHRISTOPHER PYNE: Forty
per cent of children doing year 12 in 10 years we hope will have
studied a foreign language for at least 10 years over the course of
their schooling.</p><p>JAMES GLENDAY: So, will have studied at some point, not necessarily studying it in year 12?</p><p>CHRISTOPHER PYNE: The commitment is 40 per cent of students in year 12 and that commitment remains rock solid.</p>
<p>JAMES
GLENDAY: The Government is also committed to increasing the number of
students studying languages but it doesn't have a fixed target.</p><p>PETER GARRETT: I think it's very unrealistic to set a target like that.</p><p>JAMES
GLENDAY: The School Education Minister, Peter Garrett, says he's
following the advice of the Asian Century White Paper and moving to make
at least one Asian language available to all students by 2025.</p><p>PETER
GARRETT: The advice that we have and the view that I have is you can't
really make this something that is compulsory. It's not only about
students being learn an Asian language in the classroom - that's
important - but it's also about them wanting to learn it, and that
means, as a country, us recognising and advocating for the importance of
cultural literacy and Asian languages and Asia generally.</p><p>JAMES
GLENDAY: Academics and education researchers say both approaches have
merit. But Kathe Kirby from the Asia Education Foundation says
governments should aim to teach all students a foreign language.</p><p>KATHE
KIRBY: We need to have a school education in Australia that's equipping
our young people for their 21st century world, not a 19th century
world.</p><p>JAMES GLENDAY: And Professor Tim Lindsey from the
University of Melbourne warns both sides of politics need to commit
large amounts of money over at least a decade if they're to succeed.</p><p>TIM
LINDSEY: We have seen the market respond to investment by government,
but the longer we leave it, the more money it's going to take and we're
already talking about, based on previous experience, hundreds of
millions a year to get things going again.</p><p>PETER LLOYD: Academic Tim Lindsey ending that report from James Glenday.</p><p><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/oppositions-language-plan-has-billion-dollar-price/4769624?section=act">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-20/oppositions-language-plan-has-billion-dollar-price/4769624?section=act</a><br>
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