The Sydney Morning Herald – Madeleine Heffernan
“Mandarin has become the most-studied language among state school students for the first time, thanks to a surge of Chinese study at primary schools across Victoria. Mandarin now accounts for 18.8 per cent of total language enrollments, with more than 82,000 students enrolled in Chinese at state primary and secondary schools and the Victorian School of Languages last year. The VSL offers out-of-school hours and distance education programs to students who cannot access their language of choice in their school. A new report by the Victorian Department of Education shows more languages programs in primary schools and more students taking languages to Year 12 level.” (more)