Federal Grants Extend Indian Language Programs into Senior Secondary Years

The Australian federal government has announced new funding to push the teaching of Indian languages into senior secondary schools, covering Years 11 and 12. Under the Fluency in Asian Languages stream of the Community Language Schools initiative, grants will be allocated for the development of curriculum resources, teacher professional development and the establishment of senior‑level classes across multiple states.

The programme will support eight languages – Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu – giving students from the South‑Asian diaspora the chance to deepen their linguistic proficiency before finishing high school. By extending instruction beyond the primary and early secondary phases, the government aims to strengthen cultural continuity, improve language fluency and enhance future educational or career pathways for Desi‑heritage learners.

Education officials say the investment will also address the shortage of qualified teachers for these languages and create a more sustainable framework for community language schools. For families that value bilingual education, the move represents a significant step toward preserving heritage while meeting national curriculum standards.

The rollout is expected to begin in the upcoming academic year, with individual states receiving detailed implementation plans shortly.