Plan to halt decline in study of Asian languages
Updated
Australian business, union and academic bodies have combined to create a new alliance promising to promote Asian language and cultural studies in Australian schools and universities.
The Business Alliance for Asia Literacy was launched in Melbourne this week... in an attempt to address the country's commitment to learning about our neighbours. According to the alliance, half of Australian schools teach very little about Asia... and while just 6 per cent of final year school students study an Asian language that proportion drops to just three per cent in universities. A new reference group has also been set up to oversee the implementation of the government's National Asian Languages strategy - which aims to double the number of students studying an Asian language by 2015.
Presenter: Joanna McCarthy
Speaker: Kathe Kirby, Executive Director, Asia Education Foundation
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