Victorian Education Minister holds meeting with Pharos to discuss future of Modern Greek

·

Members of the Pharos Working Party attended a meeting on Thursday, April 20 with the Victorian Minister for Education, Natalie Hutchins MP, to discuss the Modern Greek Strategic Plan for the revitalisation of the Greek language in Victoria and Australia.

Also discussed during the meeting was the progress of the Pharos sub-committees, and the request for government assistance for a funded position to coordinate the work of Pharos over the next two years.

Mrs Anita Kolaitis, Pharos Working Party Chair and Vice-President of the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria, explained that Pharos comprises a broad cross-section of the Greek Australian community and has the united support of all relevant stakeholders.

Mrs Kolaitis noted that Pharos has been approached by other states and other Victorian community language advocacy groups, including VietSpeak, highlighting that the Pharos project could serve as a successful model for other languages.

Mr Theo Markos, advocate for Greek language education in Victoria, updated the Minister and her advisors on the challenges facing state schools offering Greek language programs at primary and secondary levels, the ongoing support of parent networks, the need for qualified language teachers, the cost of living pressures for seconded educators from Greece, and the possible need to revisit an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the Victorian government and the Greek government on matters of education.

Members of the Pharos Working Group and journalists.

Dr Stephie Nikoloudis, Greek Studies coordinator at La Trobe University, emphasised that the detailed Strategic Plan, aimed at ensuring the teaching of Greek and its continued use in Australia beyond the classroom, was developed and is now being implemented under the guidance of Professor Emeritus Joe Lo Bianco, an expert in the field of language education and language revitalisation.

Dr Nikoloudis pointed out that the community-wide campaign that helped to secure the continuation of La Trobe’s Greek Studies program had the widespread support of individuals of both Greek and non-Greek background who value and support a multicultural and multilingual Australia.

The crucial interrelations between all levels of language education (from pre-school to tertiary) were discussed, including the recent success of one of Pharos’ sub-committees in securing state government financial support for Multicultural Story Time at local libraries.

The Minister showed great interest in the work being carried out by Pharos and committed to continuing the discussion with Pharos regarding its Strategic Plan and the revitalisation of Greek.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Feros Group to take over premier waterfront venue in Darling Harbour

The Feros Group has announced they now own and operate the iconic Helm Bar & Bistro in Sydney's Darling Harbour.

Peter Mamouzelos aims to play in Greece as rugby league grows

Peter Mamouzelos has expressed his ambition to play rugby league in Greece, a goal that has been hindered in the past due to the sport's ban.

Trust-building steps taken in Cyprus, but peace talks still elusive

Cyprus' rival leaders, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, made some progress on Wednesday.

Greece to invest 25 billion euros in major defence revamp

Greece is set to invest 25 billion euros in a comprehensive defence overhaul, marking the "most drastic" transformation in its modern history.

Trump targets Australia’s beef trade in new tariff announcement

Experts are warning of rising prices for American consumers as US President Donald Trump announces sweeping reciprocal tariffs.

You May Also Like

Marcus Stoinis powers Australia to T20 series sweep against Pakistan

Marcus Stoinis smashed an unbeaten 61 off just 27 balls as Australia cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan on Monday night.

COVID-19 Australia-Cyprus Forum to compare responses to the pandemic

The Australian Alumni Association of Cyprus will present the COVID-19 Australia-Cyprus Forum with the Australian High Commission in Cyprus.

Traditional Greek Recipes: Tsoureki

Forget any other tsoureki recipe you have seen and use Yiayia Vaso and Yiayia Kiki’s authentic ‘Yiayia style’ tsoureki recipe.