In Western Australia, Punjabi will now be taught in public schools. The language is prepared to be incorporated into the academic program. According to SBS Punjabi, the 2021 census revealed that Punjabi was the fastest-growing language in Australia, with more than 239,000 individuals using it at home, a gain of more than 80% from 2016. As a result, the Australian government is embracing Punjabi as the newest language.
This year, the pre-primary through year 12 curricula will be developed. After Tamil, Hindi, and Korean were added to the curriculum in 2021, it was decided to teach Punjabi in schools.
The first Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) course assessment is scheduled for 2025, and students are anticipated to be able to enroll in Year 11 courses in 2024. Schools will also have access to the pre-primary through Year 10 curriculum beginning in 2024, according to SBS Punjabi.
Education Minister Sue Ellery stated to SBS in December that pupils in Western Australia from pre-primary through year twelve will have the option of learning Punjabi. With more than 190 languages being spoken in the state, she continued, linguistic diversity is a major strength that offers a number of social, cultural, and economic advantages.
According to a press statement from Ms. Ellery, "I am glad to see the continued growth of the language curriculum for WA students, and the establishment of Punjabi curriculum is particularly fitting considering that it could benefit students in significant future employment opportunities."
Although the language is a recent addition, earlier Australian Sikh history was taught in years 5, 6, and 9 of the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum in WA schools.
