My only question is did Julie give her speech to the Indonesians in English or Indonesian?

ARJAY we do not need to be enslaved by the financial system. The whole point of education is to enlighten the whole individual to give them an inner life with the ability to escape the materialistic chains that bind us in our society. Students will be able to look deeply at issues that involve them and the whole of humanity. The knowledge of more than one language enables individuals to be able to think, ponder and talk about more than sport, porn, cars, shopping and reality television.

THE LIGHT

If only nine per cent of final year high school students now are doing a foreign language, that is grievous. How we short-change ourselves in cultural awareness and self-awareness - both of our own culture and indeed of our own language.

I teach Russian and speak also several other languages. I encouraged my daughter to do one European language (she chose French) and one Asian language (Japanese) through high school and college, and she went on to degrees in Asian Studies (Japanese) and Law.

Being able to speak another language is an essential part of being culturally literate. Sure, languages are practical means to an end in trade (though how many of us are engaged in that?), but their key value is in making us more reflective and better able to take qualitative decisions based on deeper understanding of other cultures.

I would like to see these foreign languages form the key area of concentration in Australian schools and universities:
*French, Spanish, German and Russian,
*Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Korean.

I speak five of those plus English. It is a matter of grief to me that the ANU, where I did honours in Russian Language and Literature and Political Science, stopped teaching Russian a few years ago, and I think there are now only three or four universities in Australia still teaching Russian.

Incidentally, there will also be a specialist need for speakers of Arabic, but I certainly wouldn't support that being given any general priority.

It is all very well to espouse the virtues of a second language, but I wonder how this sits amongst all the other things that our kids should be learning, and aren’t.

I’d say that environmental studies, real economics and energy balances, sustainability and the human psychology behind the achievement of a sustainable society and the reasons why we aren’t doing it, are far more important things than a second language.

I’m sure other posters could think of different things that they think are more important.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less significant learning a second language seems to be.

I believe it's absolutely vital that australians speak a second language. Especially languages which are spoken by the new invaders. The problem is to get people into such countries to learn the mentality because although extremely helpful, just speaking a language is not enough.

expose young people to new horizons.

Yes, but exposure alone is not enough. Just look at how many young Australians do get such exposure but do they come back enlightened ?
I'm having serious doubts when I see their behaviour on the news. I think those who misbehave should be fined upon their return home. It is their idiotic behaviour that gets broadcast all over the world . Stupidity is the easiest to exploit. No wonder so many think Australia is a pushover & they line up at the piers of Indonesia to board fishing boats. It's all interlinked.