00:02Learning a second language is a common feature of high school education across the country.
00:08But an ACT parliamentary inquiry has found the learning pathways through Canberra's public schools are riddled with roadblocks.
00:16For example, someone who was learning one language in primary school,
00:20even though it's a feeder school, didn't have the opportunity to actually learn the same language when it went into
00:24high school.
00:25The inquiry was triggered by a petition protesting the closure of Canberra's centralised language school for senior students.
00:33For six years from 2017, the Canberra Academy of Languages filled the education gap for Year 11 and 12 students
00:40who wanted to study a language their school didn't offer.
00:44The now defunct CIT Solutions took over in 2023.
00:47What we thought was a safe pair of hands fell over quite unexpectedly.
00:56The ACT government's handling of the closure of that laid bare in the inquiry report, adding insult to injury.
01:04It was stated that the languages education issue was not a priority for the government to address at this time.
01:14The fact that this government doesn't even know what languages are being taught in which schools
01:19and how many language teachers we have teaching each language is in itself a problem.
01:25In a statement, a spokesperson said the Education Directorate is exploring language access options for senior secondary students,
01:32including in-school delivery, cross-college arrangements, out-of-area enrolment and specialist providers.
01:38.
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