Go ahead for Hebrew at state school
A NEW Hebrew program will be offered at Glen Eira College from the beginning of next term. The language class – available for year 7 students, with a view to a broader rollout in the coming years – is part of a Melbourne entrepreneur’s plan to make the college a viable alternative to private Jewish schooling.
A NEW Hebrew program will be offered at Glen Eira College from the beginning of next term.
The language class – available for year 7 students, with a view to a broader rollout in the coming years – is part of a Melbourne entrepreneur’s plan to make the college a viable alternative to private Jewish schooling.
“The introduction of Hebrew is a great achievement for the community. When I started on this journey 12 months ago, my goal was to have the subject ready and going for 2013.
“The fact that every child in Melbourne can now study Hebrew formally, in school hours, at our local public school is really something to be celebrated,” said Jonathan Schauder, who has been driving the project.
Tuition will initially cost $250 per student per term, with Schauder footing the rest of the bill.
Five students are enrolled so far: small numbers that principal Lesley Lamb attributes to the end-of-term timing.
“We are using this as a trial, and we will work towards making sure incoming parents next year know of our plans to offer Hebrew as a LOTE [language other than English] for year 7,” she said.
Lamb said she had not ruled out the possibility of offering Jewish studies as part of a VCE Religion and Society subject in coming years.
“At the moment, we are working on language because we believe that’s the most consistent with current programs, and the most likely to be successful. We will wait to see how that develops,” she said, noting the increase in Jewish enrolments over the past few years.
“We aim to be responsive to needs and interests of the school community,” she said.
A parent, whose daughter is enrolled in the program, said its benefits were two-pronged.
“It enables kids to continue their Hebrew studies and there’s also a social aspect. It encourages more Jewish kids to assemble in the same place,
“There are kids coming from a mixture of backgrounds, but it’s a small class. The teacher will make it work,” he said.
Former coordinator of the Hebrew Immersion Program at Caulfield Junior College, Ellinor Mofkadi, is set to take the reins.
Glen Eira College also offers a lunchtime club called Jewish Student Network, run by the United Jewish Education Board (UJEB).
LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA
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