The teaching of Greek in Australia was the main subject of the lecture presented by the academic Anna Hatzinikolaou on September 6, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminar, offered by the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria.
In the lecture, which was presented at the conference hall of the Benevolent Society of Ithakisians, Hatzinikolaou covered in detail the history of the development of Modern Greek Studies on a Pan-Australian level, with special emphasis on the three levels of education in the State of Victoria. Among others, Hatzinikolaou talked about the phenomenon of the rise and fall of the Greek language, especially in higher education.
The teaching of Greek in Antipodes was presented through the historical- political environment of the last sixty years : the great emigration mainly in the 60’s, the rise of the multicultural movement in the 70’s, the government’s economic and rational policy in the 90’s, and the economic crisis of the last decade.
She also referred to the pioneers and the beginning of teaching of Greek in secondary public education, the VSL schools (Victoria School of Languages), the study through correspondence later, and the teaching of Modern Greek Studies in Higher Education with the financial support of the Greek community.
At the same time, she referred to the struggles of the Greek community during the 70’s and the 80’s to preserve and spread the teaching of the Greek language and civilization. The 90’s seemed to have been a negative triggering period in this progress, especially in higher education in the State of Victoria, a situation that worsened over the next decade.
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