The federal government will fund expanded teaching of Indian languages through to Years 11 and 12, with grants supporting new resources, teacher training and senior secondary classes across several states.
The funding will cover Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu under the Fluency in Asian Languages stream of the Community Language Schools Grants Program.
Projects receiving support include Tamil programs in New South Wales, digital resources for Hindi and other languages through the Australian National University, teacher development in Victoria and assistance for community language schools seeking to establish classes from Years 7 to 12.
Tamil Study Centre Homebush Inc will pilot a Tamil fluency program in Homebush before expanding it across NSW, with online resources to be made available nationally.
The NSW Federation of Tamil Schools Inc will receive support to strengthen Tamil teaching for secondary students, including new learning resources and opportunities for students to use the language outside the classroom.
The Australian National University will develop Digital Language Hubs offering teaching materials and professional development for community language teachers, including those teaching Hindi.
Community Languages Victoria Inc will establish an online Teachers Hub and work on extending Asian language learning from the middle years into senior secondary education.
The University of Sydney will also work with community language schools to establish Years 7 to 12 classes, train additional teachers and develop resources that can be used nationally.
Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly said maintaining language skills could have educational, cultural and economic benefits for young Australians.
“Language connects young people to their family, culture and community, and it also opens doors to study, employment and opportunity,” Dr Aly said.
“These grants will help more students continue learning Indian languages into their senior secondary years, supported by skilled teachers and high-quality resources.”
The funding will cover Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu under the Fluency in Asian Languages stream of the Community Language Schools Grants Program
She said Australia’s multilingual population also had value beyond individual communities.
“Australia’s linguistic diversity is one of our greatest strengths. It helps us understand one another at home and strengthens our relationships across the region and the world.”
The latest grants sit within a $25.6 million federal investment over four years from 2025-26 in community language schools, which the government says support more than 90,000 students studying more than 80 languages.
They follow a separate funding round in which 85 community language schools were allocated more than $1.47 million over four years to expand programs, train teachers and develop learning materials.
Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill said community language schools remained important for families seeking to pass languages between generations.
“Community language schools play a vital role in helping young Australians stay connected to their heritage, strengthen intergenerational ties, and celebrate cultural identity,” Mr Hill said.
“This funding recognises the important role teachers and schools play in keeping languages, cultures and connections strong for future generations.”
Mr Hill also linked language education with Australia’s economic and regional relationships.
“Having more Australians capable of speaking the languages of our largest trading partners and neighbours is a huge benefit to our nation, opening further employment opportunities and career paths for students, and growing economic ties with our friends and neighbours across our region.”
The funding places greater emphasis on keeping community language study going beyond the primary and early secondary years, where many programs have traditionally been concentrated, and into the senior years of schooling.
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