Right language to ensure these schools thrive is not being spoken, say parents and teachers

The Age

26-05-2025

Some of Melbourne's most established bilingual state schools are missing out on funding because they're operating under a fractured and inequitable system, parents and teachers say.
Advocacy group the Bilingual Schools Network also said these schools, where demand is growing, often operate without unified standards.
The network is made up of principals, program leaders and teachers from 11 bilingual state schools, including Melbourne's first English-Italian school (Brunswick South Primary) and Australia's oldest English-Chinese bilingual school (Abbotsford Primary School).
'These schools often operate in isolation, without a cohesive support system or unified standards,' a network strategy document seen by The Age says. 'The absence of a comprehensive policy and uneven distribution of resources limits the potential for these schools to expand and thrive.'
Abbotsford Primary School's 166 students are taught in English and Mandarin.
Footscray resident Jieh-Yung Lo drives an hour-and-a-half each day to take his nine-year-old daughter, Hopelyn, to the school because he wants her to be fluent in Mandarin and familiar with her Chinese heritage.
But a feeling that the school lacked standardised approaches and support led parents, including Lo, Zarah Goh and Amy Poh, to form a working group to better integrate Mandarin into its curriculum. They have designed language games, helped with assessment and started a Chinese tuckshop, so students can practise their Mandarin in a realistic setting.
'We're trying to help the school build the Chinese curriculum because there is no statewide standard, so we're having to do [things] ourselves, and we're not teachers,' Lo said.
Amy Poh, a fellow member of the parent group, said some parents felt the bilingual program wasn't being as well-executed as it could be, despite the school's dedication to being bilingual.