Dr Elly Kent is the Deputy Director of Languages at the ANU School of Culture, History and Languages in the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, as well as the Deputy Director of the ANU Indonesia Institute.
Preserving Indonesian Language Studies in Australian Schools
In her newly published article, Dr Elly Kent (ANU School of Culture, History & Language at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific) highlights a growing crisis in Canberra’s education system: the near disappearance of opportunities for students to study languages other than English, especially Asian languages.
As Canberra’s schools wind down for 2025, Elly reflects on 16 years as a parent in the ACT public system, and on the extraordinary effort required for her children to access consistent Indonesian language education. Despite living in Australia’s diplomatic capital, ACT students have almost no continuous pathways to study a foreign language from primary school through to college.
This stands in stark contrast to the past. In the 1980s and 1990s, Indonesian was taught widely across Australia, with more than 300,000 students enrolled by 2000. Many of Elly’s former classmates from Indonesian programs have since become diplomats, public servants, academics, and business leaders, shaping Australia–Indonesia relations.
Today, however, language programs have dwindled. Families must rely on community schools, out-of-zone enrolments, or long commutes just to find a school offering a single Asian language. Even where programs exist, small enrolments, shortages of qualified teachers, and broken pathways between schooling levels make sustained study nearly impossible.
Elly warns that this issue extends far beyond the ACT. Across Australia, Asian language enrolments have collapsed, university pipelines have dried up, and very few graduates are training to become language teachers. Australia risks losing vital local expertise on its nearest neighbours, countries central to its security, economy, and regional partnerships.
Elly argues that urgent action is needed. Without consistent, equitable access to Asian languages throughout the school system, Canberra risks leaving its young people — and its international reputation — behind.
Read Elly Kent’s full article through the link provided on this page.
First Australian Congress for Indonesian Language 2025
In response to challenges facing Indonesian language education in Australia, on 6 December 2025 the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Canberra, together with The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Australia-Indonesia Institute, School of History and Languages, College of Asia and the Pacific, and the ANU Indonesia Project, hosts the First Australian Congress for Indonesian Language at the Australian National University. The national forum strengthens teaching, learning, and long-term sustainability of Indonesian language education across the country. The full-day hybrid event brings together educators, policymakers, academics, and community organisations for seminars, panel discussions, focus groups, and awards recognising outstanding contributions to Indonesian Studies. Opening remarks are delivered by Ambassador Dr Siswo Pramono, Vice Minister of Primary and Secondary Education - Dr Fajar Riza UI Haq, Ambassador of Australia to Indonesia - Mr Rod Brazier, Head of Centre for Language and Literature Empowerment - Dr Iwa Lukmana and Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific - Professor Helen Sullivan. The program also features a high-profile panel with experts such as Prof George Quinn, Dr Helvy Tiana Rosa, Joel Backwell, and Mei Turnip, alongside collaborative discussions with Indonesian language associations from across Australia. The congress sparks coordinated national action and reinvigorates pathways that ensure Australian students continue to have meaningful, sustained access to one of the region’s most important languages.
