Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli today visited Menindee Central School where he announced that Aboriginal Languages will become a new HSC subject.

“There are approximately 35 Aboriginal languages in New South Wales, with 19 being taught across NSW, and more than 100 dialects. This new course will help maintain this critical part of Aboriginal cultures,” Mr Piccoli said.

“Menindee Central School is a Connected Communities school and already teaches Paakantji. The new course enables students to continue their studies into Years 11 and 12 and I look forward to other schools joining them.”

Teaching and learning of Aboriginal languages and cultures is a key component of the Connected Communities strategy.

All Connected Communities schools offer students cultural studies or activities with nine of the 15 schools currently offering the opportunity to learn Aboriginal languages.

Currently, 61 school campuses across NSW are teaching Aboriginal Languages using the K-10 syllabus.

Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Leslie Williams said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government strongly believes that Aboriginal people have a right to learn their own languages, and our schools play a vital role in facilitating this.

“This course will aid Aboriginal young people to become the future custodians and caretakers of their languages and empower them to maintain a strong sense of identity. For non-Aboriginal young people it will provide them with a deeper understanding of the world’s oldest living culture,” Mrs Williams said.

“Partnership between the school and their local Aboriginal community will enable knowledge holders to provide expertise and guidance to classroom teachers.”

The HSC Aboriginal Languages course counts towards the Higher School Certificate and appears on the student's Record of Achievement. It does not contribute to the calculation of a student’s Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).