Categories: News

Schools funded to establish Asian language programmes

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1687" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;08&sol;SND18-wk2-Asian&lowbar;languages&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND18-wk2-Asian languages" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"192" &sol;>Twenty-two groups of schools have won funding to establish new Mandarin&comma; Japanese or Korean programmes&comma; or expand existing ones&comma; Education Minister Hekia Parata announced yesterday&period; <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Government established the &dollar;10 million Asian Language Learning in Schools contestable fund last year to increase the provision of Asian languages in schools&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The first funding round has generated real enthusiasm for Asian languages in classrooms&comma;&&num;8221&semi; says Ms Parata&period; &&num;8220&semi;Twenty-two programmes involving 129 schools will receive a total of &dollar;3&period;3 million over the next three years&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Many of the primary and secondary schools are working together to provide a pathway for students to keep developing language proficiency throughout their school life&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;I&&num;8217&semi;ve been impressed with the innovative ways that schools are sharing teaching skills and resources&period; Some groups are bringing students together over the internet&comma; using virtual classrooms to overcome geographical barriers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;There are cognitive and cultural benefits to learning a second language and Asian Language Learning in Schools is just one of several government initiatives that will encourage a multi-lingual New Zealand&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Ms Parata says&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The programmes that won funding will begin next year&period; Eligibility for the second round of funding is being extended to include all Asian languages&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Applications for the second round opened yesterday and schools have until September 25&comma; 2015 to register their interest&period;<&sol;p><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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Rosie Clarke

Rosie is the managing editor here at Multimedia Pty Ltd, working across School News New Zealand and School News Australia. She has spent 10+ years in B2B journalism, and has spent some time over the last couple of years teaching as a sessional academic. Feel free to contact her at any time with editorial or magazine content enquiries.

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