As CSAA members will have heard via media sources, Victoria University management have decided to discontinue the university’s LOTE specialisations: preserving only Vietnamese. Not only is this a blow for students and staff directly associated with learning Chinese, Japanese and Spanish, many of the university’s academic staff fear it could have an adverse impact on the standing of the university.

At a time when Asian studies, Asian languages and Asia literacy are receiving renewed focus in education and the business community there will be many outside the university who will question the wisdom of this decision. CSAA President Prof. Stephanie Hemelryk Donald recently conveyed her concern in an email to the VU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Elizabeth Harman, seeking more information and noting also the concern of the Chinese Community Council of Australia, Victorian Chapter (CCCAV).

The decision to discontinue teaching Chinese, Japanese and Spanish at VU came as part of a raft of budgetary decisions made by VU after the Vice-Chancellor announced a need for rationalisation in October last year. The decision to approach the University of Melbourne came after the decision to discontinue teaching Chinese, Japanese and Spanish at VU. According to the VU V-C’s reply, under the proposed arrangement VU students will have access to a larger range of LOTEs at UoM, but this is effectively formalising the existing de facto generosity of UoM toward a small number of VU students needing to take languages not currently offered.

While it is good to see something being done to ensure a range of LOTEs continue to be made available to VU students, there are real questions and challenges surrounding the practicalities of the VU-UoM arrangement: these include the feasibility of cross-institutional travel for students, the differential in students' educational histories and achievements, and the impact on the diversity of LOTE teaching in Victoria. The arrangement recently made by Queensland universities is different in a number of respects, including more concerted planning over time; but being early days the details await finalisation under the VU-UoM arrangement. The VU V-C did not mention any recent measures to improve the position of LOTEs taught at VU.

Professor Harman's recognition of the richness of VU’s existing multicultural and linguistic diversity is to be applauded, but the nurturing of effective multilingualism as a national resource requires strength and maintenance in the LOTE component as well as English. Skill in moving between or translating languages is not something that flows naturally from simply knowing two or more languages well, let alone poorly.

The decision leaves VU with a number of essential questions unanswered: Without encouraging its own language programs will Victoria University be able to ensure that its students are well prepared for facing the massive shifts that are taking shape in our region? How many VU graduates will be ready to become teachers nurturing Asia literacy and Asian LOTEs in the Australian classrooms of the future? How well prepared will the university be in nurturing leaders in our region? While VU will continue to shape many wonderful and outstanding graduates, following the university's decision on LOTEs these are questions it will increasingly be forced to confront and be held answerable for by its community.

Submitted by Dr Mark Stevenson, Senior Lecturer, Asian Studies, Victoria University