Oct 2, 2020Open letter to Education Minister James Merlino2nd October 2020 Today 23 academics, 23 educators, 14 community leaders, 76 current/former/future parents and students of Footscray Primary School, and concerned citizens have co-signed the following letter to the Victorian Minister Education James Merlino asking that moves towards axing the Vietnamese bilingual program at Footscray Primary School be halted…Bilingual Education9 min readBilingual Education9 min read
Sep 25, 2020Obscuring the loss of the only Vietnamese bilingual program in AustraliaThis campaign asks the Minister and the Victorian Education Department to not abolish the only Vietnamese bilingual program in Australia, a means of providing more equitable long-term pathway options for community languages. While parents and teachers were adjusting to COVID-19 lockdown, the School Council of Footscray Primary decided to abolish…Social Justice5 min readSocial Justice5 min read
Sep 23, 2020Timeline of bilingual at FPS2016 August 26 — School terminates the Veitnamese bilingual program without community consultation. October — Following community advocacy Minister reinstates program. December — School loses 2 Vietnamese teachers and recruits 4 new Vietnamese teachers for 2017. 2017 Additional Department 2 year funding begins. School begins bilingual education from Grade 2 (previously from…Bilingual Education3 min readBilingual Education3 min read
Sep 18, 2020The loss of the only Vietnamese bilingual programFootscray Primary School (FPS) and the Victorian Department of Education (DET) should reconsider the termination of the last Vietnamese bilingual program in Australia as it would be a great disservice to the students of Footscray Primary School and community languages in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Through gathering extensive evidence obtained from…Multiculturalism9 min readMulticulturalism9 min read
Sep 14, 2020A brief look at the Vietnamese bilingual program at FPS since 2016History Vietnamese language education began at Footscray Primary School as a mother-tongue maintenance program in 1985. It transitioned to a bilingual program in 1997. The program has won a High Commendation in the National Literacy and Numeracy Week Awards in 2007 and the 2008 Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Education…3 min read3 min read
