There was an impressive turnout at the Award Ceremony of the Certificates of Attainment in the Greek Language 2023 that took place at Macquarie University’s Arts Precinct on Friday, February 2, 2024.
The event was held as part of the celebration of the International Day of Greek Language 2024, making it an even more special occasion.
Over 200 people attended the award ceremony.
Among them were the successful candidates and their families, school principals, Greek language teachers, Heads of Languages in NSW schools, representatives of community organisations, and the media of the Greek community.
Among the distinguished guests were Bishop Iakovos of Miletoupolis, representing Archbishop Makarios of Australia; the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yiannis Mallikourtis; Sophie Cotsis MP, Minister for Industrial Relations, Work Health and Safety; the Head of the Department Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature, Professor Hsu-Ming Teo; the Chair of Discipline of Languages and Cultures, Dr Wes Roberston; the President of the Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation Ltd., Mr Theophilos Premetis; the President of AHEPA NSW, Bill Skandalakis; the Chief Executive Officer at NSW Federation of Community Language Schools, Michael Christodoulou; and members of the board of directors of the Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation Ltd.
The Minister for Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports of Greece, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Professor Ioannis Chrysoulakis, and the President of the Centre for Greek Language in Greece Emeritus Professor of the Philology Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Theodoros Papaggelis, delivered brief speeches via video and warmly congratulated the successful candidates, their teachers and their families.
Dr Patricia Koromvokis, Lecturer in Modern Greek Studies at the Department of Media, Communication, Creative Arts, Languages and Cultures and Head of the Examination Centre for the Greek Language Certificate, warmly congratulated the successful recipients and acknowledged their achievement which made their teachers, their schools and their families proud.
More specifically, Dr Koromvokis pointed out: “Your passion for Greek language learning proves the value of our language in the diaspora, so far away from Greece. It’s because of this passion that today we celebrate the International Day of the Greek Language here in Australia.”
The event was fully funded by the Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation. Each candidate, apart from the certificate, received a USB as a gift, courtesy of the Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation.
The Examination centre of Macquarie University is the only certified examination centre in NSW and the biggest one in Australia. In 2023, 83 students participated, achieving a 94% success rate.
The Certificate of Attainment in the Greek Language is a globally recognised title that proves the level of proficiency of its holder in the market and is considered a prerequisite for the practice of various professions in Greece.
The registrations for the Exams for the Certificate of Attainment in Greek 2024, which is conducted under the auspices of Macquarie University, are now taking place. Visit Macquarie University’s site for more information.
*All photos copyright: Effy Alexakis.
