Foreign language study in Australian schools

The following comes from:http://www.news.com.au/money/federal-budget/preschoolers-to-learn-second-language-under-tony-abbott-and-the-coalition/story-fn84fgcm-1226352494563 EVERY preschool child would have to study a foreign language if the Coalition wins the next election, as part of Tony Abbott's vision to help prepare Australia for the Asian boom. And within a decade, 40 per cent of Year 12 students would be studying a second language under a target set by Mr Abbott in his Budget reply speech last night. China was Australia's biggest trading partner but there are just 300 Year 12 students of Mandarin who aren't of Chinese heritage across Australia. Japanese, the language of Australia's second-biggest trading partner, had seen a 21 per cent decline in students studying it since 2001. "Indonesia is a vital partner in Australia's long-term future and on current trends Indonesian will disappear from Year 12 studies within four years," Mr Abbott said in a joint statement with his deputy Julie Bishop and education spokesman Christopher Pyne. Korean had all but disappeared from the education system - a concern because Korea is Australia's third-largest trading partner. "Similarly Australia's relationship with India is of growing importance and the Australian-Indian community numbers more than 300,000," Mr Abbott said. "But there has been a steady decline in the study of Hindi in Australia - for example in 2010 only 16 students sat the NSW HSC in Hindi." If Australians wanted to make their way in the world, they could not rely on other people speaking their language, Mr Abbott said. "The Coalition believes that starting in pre-school every student should have an exposure to foreign languages," he said. The shift would be generational because foreign language speakers would have to be mobilised and teachers trained. "We will urgently work with the states to ensure that the Australian workforce of the future can grasp the full opportunity of the Asian century," Mr Abbott said. The announcement mirrored the Coalition's policy on teaching children foreign languages in its 2010 election platform but provided more specific targets and details. Read more: http://www.news.com.au/money/federal-budget/preschoolers-to-learn-second-language-under-tony-abbott-and-the-coalition/story-fn84fgcm-1226352494563#ixzz1uWq75i58