When the boys at Riverview College learn to conjugate Latin verbs, they are broadening and sharpening their minds, says the school’s deputy principal, teaching and learning, Lloyd Walker. “Cognitively, learning a second language sharpens analytical thinking, memory and perception in ways that carry across every area of study,” he says. “Beyond the academic, it builds genuine intercultural competence, an openness to difference and a far deeper understanding of the world beyond one’s own experience.”
An all-boys school in Sydney, Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview offers tuition in five languages, including French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and classical Greek, along with Latin.
Statistically, language learning is in decline in state schools across Australia, perhaps because of curricula structure or perceived employability usefulness. In 2024, 7.6 per cent of Australian final year high school students were studying a language, according to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), down from 11.3 per cent in 2010.
Yet along with many independent schools, Riverview considers language an essential part of education, Walker says, as well as a valuable employment skill.
“The careers of tomorrow will demand the ability to work across cultures and engage meaningfully in a global community, and language study develops exactly the kind of cultural intelligence, critical thinking, and communication skills that universities and employers value,” he adds.
Languages are important on a national level, Walker says. “For Australia specifically, the stakes are real, despite English being a world language, bilingualism is the norm across most of the globe. Our capacity as a nation to engage in diplomacy, trade, education, and cultural exchange will depend, in no small part, on young people who can meet the world in its own languages.”
Girls at the Academy of Mary Immaculate in Melbourne must study a language until the end of year 9 with a choice of Japanese, French or Italian, says the school’s head of languages, Natalie Dickson, and they are strongly encouraged to continue their language studies through to the final years of school.
Learning a language can be difficult and time-consuming, Dickson adds, but it is worth the effort. “Our goal as teachers is to make it engaging and to encourage them to continue with language, not just because of the academic benefits, but all the other benefits that we know that come with language learning.”
These include honed cognitive abilities such as problem-solving, multi-tasking, and critical thinking, Dickson says, as well as a deeper appreciation of different cultures and perspectives, and the ability to see things from a different world view.
“Learning a language can be challenging,” she adds. “Students need the resilience to make mistakes and errors, and to persist.”
The academy has had a relationship with a sister school in Nishiyama in Japan for more than 30 years, and students from the Japanese school visited Melbourne this year, forging and renewing bonds with their Australian counterparts, Dickson says. “It’s something we’re very proud of,” she adds.
Australian language students are always at a geographical disadvantage. English learners can hop on a train or a ferry and arrive in Europe in a few hours, whereas Australia is distant from both European and Asian language destinations.
Graham Catt, Independent Schools Australia CEO, says many independent schools have the flexibility to offer a broader range of language subjects. These include specialist or lower-enrolment languages, he adds, which can sometimes be sustained even with relatively small class sizes. “This reflects their ability to respond to the interests of their school communities and to make local decisions about curriculum and resourcing,” he says.
Girls at Ravenswood school in Sydney can choose from French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and Latin, says Jennifer Richardson, deputy principal, teaching and learning, and students studying for the International Baccalaureate can also choose Spanish.
Latin has been taught at the school for more than a century. “While not a spoken modern language, Latin builds foundational skills for learning other modern languages, such as Spanish, Italian and French,” Richardson says. “It also sharpens students’ grasp of English grammar and can be useful for those who wish to go on to study medicine, science or law.”
All students in the junior school and up to year 9 must learn a language, Richardson says, adding that internet-driven translation devices might be handy tools, but they will never replace real human conversation, and they cannot fully convey tone, nuance or cultural context.
“Ultimately, people connect with people,” she adds. “Language learning fosters human connection and understanding in ways that technology alone cannot, supporting genuine communication and human flourishing.”
The Australian magazine