Sunita Narayan
Wellington, December 7, 2020
Image from Parliament website
Submission are open for Education (Strengthening Second Language Learning in Primary and Intermediate Schools) Amendment Bill, which was first presented to the New Zealand Parliament on September 6, 2018 by the then National MP Nikki Kaye and later Paul Goldsmith, National Party List MP.
This Bill proposes introduction of ten priority languages in primary and intermediate schools.
The move has been warmly welcomed by long standing advocates for strengthening languages in schools and communities.
Strengthening Hindi in Schools
In a nutshell, the Bill aims to strengthen primary and intermediate schools, including Communities of Learning, Access to Language Learning through additional resources provided by the government to fund professional development, language specialists, and online resources.
The Indian Languages and Research Foundation, in collaboration with community-based Hindi language schools and other stakeholders, has prepared a submission, stating that a case exists for Hindi at primary and intermediate schools.
Census 2018 showed a significant increase in speakers of Indian languages, with Hindi at 69,471 and Fiji Hindi at 26,805. Given that Hindi and Fiji Hindi share some linguistic characteristics, including the Devanagari script, the collective number reaches close to 100,000.
Therefore, a strong case exists for introducing a sustainable Lifelong Language Learning framework for Hindi.
Dr Pushpa Wood (Picture Supplied)
About the Foundation
The Foundation was established in January 2018 with an overall aim of strengthening and growing capability in Indian languages for Lifelong Language Learning outcomes that contribute to strengthening family, community and business relationships.
If you or your organisation want your voice heard or want to view the submission before vouching your support, contact:
Sunita Narayan sunita.d.narayan@gmail.comor Dr Pushpa Wood pushpa.wood@gmail.com
We will send you a copy for your endorsement by December 10, 2020.
The details of the Bill can be found here:
Sunita Narayan is Coordinator of the Wellington based Hindi School.
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