Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
4.27 Schools have a very large impact on language and in the past this has been a quite destructive one. It is important that they play a constructive role in language maintenance wherever possible. Different language situations faced by schools, sometimes in combination, include:
- children with a strong Aboriginal language and no English - usually schools in remote communities.
- children with some of their parents' language - often coming from town camps.
- children from several language groups - some community schools.
- children speaking creole.
- children speaking Aboriginal English - community schools through to metropolitan schools.
With such a range of different language requirements schools obviously need to structure their courses to meet the local situation.