ViệtSpeakOur voices must be heard
ViệtSpeak“As a parent who had children attend FPS we voted to have the Vietnamese program remain at FPS as recently as 2017. The fact that this decision to keep the program has been reviewed again is a disgrace as well as during COVID19 is opportunistic. Vietnamese is FPS community language and needs to remain. This is an immersion language experience and not a token one hour second language program like most department primary school programs. As a language learner at university level as well as someone who was worked overseas in a non-English speaking country this is another tone deaf decision to preference European languages above Asian languages.” – A. Hopwood |
| “It is important for the community in Footscray and their children to learn Vietnamese as Footscray has a long standing history with the Vietnamese language and culture. The school has not made the right decision in the BEST INTEREST of the community but rather chose Italian which is irrelevant to the needs of the community.” – C. Than |
| “Learning and immersing children in a language that is contextually relevant is important to all children. Within the inner west and Footscray itself Vietnamese is an extremely relevant language and it would be a shame to see a school abandoned it. If finding teachers is becoming difficult, employ from within the community and encourage and allow local people to upskill thus benefiting both the school and local community who should be trying to build each other up.” – L. Blythman |
| “”As a teacher, I have observed the best education systems are rooted in community relevancy, culture and integration. Our schools need to find our way back to this – not discard these unique culturally and community sensitive programs. Honestly it’s just sad and indicative of our current out-of-touch education system.” – B. Wragg |
| “I think this is vitally important for the community in the West, that has a huge Vietnamese population. This is about the importance of cultural maintenance, cultural sharing and the power of language. Please don’t cut this unique program. It doesn’t make sense.” – L. Nguyen |
| “Community needs communication, without further entrenching isolation through language blocks and social lockdown. Teachers are available and community support is real.” – L. Cruickshank |
| “How stupid to get rid of a bilingual language that is very relevant to the demographic of the school students. Here we are trying to keep languages from dying out in Australia not rid of them. We are a multicultural society which means we keep our languages & cultures of the people who have shaped this country. Footscray is mainly Vietnamese so keep it or how about introducing a 2nd or even 3rd language to show the diversity of the students at the school” – A. Starakis |
| “Having had my son at a school where a locally relevant language was abandoned by the new principal and replaced by a language with no local relevance, immediately disenfranchising my son who loved language class, I truly feel for the local Footscray community where Vietnamese is an immediately relevant language, not only in many of the households but all through the retail precinct and community, allowing for a wonderful immersion program and the learning benefits that bilingualism brings to a growing child. Please don’t let that opportunity be thrown away due to inexperience.” – A. Cordon |