- New school and student grants to increase in 2017
- More than $1 million provided in 2016 to support language learning
- $50,000 pilot improvement program to support schools towards best practice
Western Australia's community language schools will receive more support in 2017, after the Liberal National Government increased the grants available for schools and students.
Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Minister Mike Nahan said new school grants would increase from $3,000 to $4,000 and per capita grants would rise from $100 to $120 per student.
"The increase to these grants caps off a year of stellar development for the Community Languages Program, which delivered more than $600,000 in grants to schools and students in 2016," Dr Nahan said.
"In addition, the $50,000 Pathways to Improvement Program, which will assist community language schools to work towards achieving schools' accreditation and best practice in the management and delivery of community language learning, will be piloted in 2017."
The grants are made available through the Community Languages Program (CLP), run by the Office of Multicultural Interests, which provides support to more than 60 not-for-profit community language schools that deliver language and culture programs out of school hours.
The Minister said the increased grants reflected the vital role of community language schools and the success of the CLP, which was redeveloped by the State Government in 2015.
"These increases in grants and development support will mean that these schools, which are often run by committed and talented volunteers, will be better placed to deliver the best possible language education to school-aged children," he said.
"Community language schools are essential to maintaining the cultures and languages that are the foundation of our diverse community. The Liberal National Government is committed to supporting these schools to teach and inspire language learning across the community."
Fact File
- Per capita grants have increased from $65 per student in 2014 to $120 per student in 2017
- CLP now funds programs in more than 40 languages including Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Oromo, and Japanese, supporting about 6,000 students - up from 3,300 in 2014-15
- In 2016, the CLP grew to include a $170,000 Professional Learning Program for teachers to develop critical skills and knowledge
- The State Government has also provided $190,000 to support significant projects with the State Library of WA and Modern Languages Teachers' Association of WA
- For more information, visit http://www.omi.wa.gov.au
Minister's office - 6552 5700
