A federal program putting interactive language tablet games in the hands of pre-schoolers is set to change the staggering low rates of students studying a second language.

While Australia is a proud multicultural nation with more than 250 languages other than English spoken at home, the linguistic diversity isn’t translating into schools.

The $9.8 millon scheme aims to improve the rate of Year 12 students electing to study a second language, after government figures showed the number had dropped to as low as 12 per cent.

Franklin Early Childhood School was one of the 40 selected preschools involved in the Early Learning Language Australia (ELLA) trial and the only one in the ACT.

The children are being taught Mandarin, one of the five focus languages, using games and interactive apps. More.

See: canberratimes.com.au

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