Glen Waverley electorate
John MULLAHY (Glen Waverley) (14:42): (1237) My constituency question is to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education. Is there a plan to review and expand the Hindi language learning opportunities offered by the Victorian School of Languages for the people of the Glen Waverley district? Recently I met with several local Hindi community groups, and all of them highlighted the ongoing challenge of insufficient Hindi learning opportunities in Melbourne’s east, particularly in my district. Currently the Victorian School of Languages offers Hindi at Glen Waverley Secondary College on Tuesdays with two streams: years 1 to 10 and years 11 and 12. The teachers are doing a fantastic job, and many students go on to become high achievers in VCE Hindi. However, community feedback is clear: demand is growing rapidly in the area. According to the latest census, my electorate has a higher than average proportion of residents who speak Hindi at home – in some suburbs more than triple the Victorian average. Hindi is also becoming increasingly popular as a VCE subject, offering cultural enrichment and academic benefits, including strong scaling that supports great ATAR results. I believe it would be beneficial to review the current Hindi language provision.