Help Bring Ukrainian Back to Years 11 and 12

An important national education decision is now taking shape—and the Northern Territory should be part of it.

Education authorities across Australia are considering the level of interest in reactivating Ukrainian as a recognised senior secondary language through the Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL). UAANT supports this proposal and invites Territorians of every background to add their voice.

This is not a request to create an untested subject from scratch. Ukrainian was previously offered through CCAFL from 1992 to 2019. The present campaign seeks to reactivate that pathway so students can again continue Ukrainian into Years 11 and 12 and receive formal recognition for their study.

Why This Matters Beyond the Ukrainian Community

The Territory is proudly multilingual. Supporting Ukrainian is part of a wider principle: young people should not have to leave their language, family history or cultural knowledge at the school gate.

Reactivation would:

• give students more meaningful subject choice in their senior years;
• recognise bilingualism as an educational and professional strength;
• help newly arrived young people stay connected while building their future in Australia;
• strengthen the Territory's multicultural character and international outlook; and
• demonstrate that smaller communities can participate fairly in Australia's education system.

The NT already works across jurisdictions in senior secondary education. Territory students complete the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training (NTCET), which draws on the South Australian senior secondary curriculum. CCAFL is likewise a collaborative model: nationally developed language courses can be made available across states and territories, subject to recognition by the relevant curriculum authority.

There is also a practical local dimension. UAANT representatives have on several occasions been invited to speak with Australian Defence Force personnel about Ukraine, its culture and its language before personnel travelled to the United Kingdom to work alongside Ukrainian counterparts. Those conversations showed us directly that cultural and language understanding is not abstract: it helps Australians communicate, collaborate and build trust in real-world settings. Senior language education develops exactly this kind of capability for the future.

The Evidence for a Sustainable Subject

According to information provided to community organisations through the national Ukrainian education campaign:

• approximately 400 students attended Ukrainian community language schools in 2024;
• a national survey found interest across NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania;
• 57% of survey respondents were not currently enrolled in a community language school, suggesting demand beyond existing enrolments; and
• teachers, curriculum specialists, examiners and tertiary expertise are available nationally.

The proposal has progressed to consultation and review after a formal submission to the NSW Education Standards Authority. Community support now matters because each jurisdiction is being asked to assess local interest.

How Territorians Can Help Now

You do not need to speak Ukrainian to support fair access to language education.

Write to the NT Minister for Education and Training, the Hon Jo Hersey MLA, and ask the Northern Territory to support reactivation through the national CCAFL process.

Email: Minister.Hersey@nt.gov.au

Please write in your own words if you can. A short, respectful message is enough. Parents, students, teachers, school leaders, multicultural organisations and other community supporters can all help demonstrate genuine Territory interest.

Suggested Message

Subject: Support for reactivating Ukrainian as a senior secondary language

Dear Minister Hersey,

I am writing as a Northern Territory resident to support the reactivation of Ukrainian as a senior secondary language through the Collaborative Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Languages.

Giving Territory students the opportunity to continue Ukrainian in Years 11 and 12 would expand educational choice, recognise bilingual skills and strengthen our multicultural community. Ukrainian was previously a CCAFL language, and the national Ukrainian community has demonstrated student demand and access to the teaching and curriculum expertise needed to support it.

I respectfully ask the Northern Territory Government to support reactivation and ensure that interest in the NT is reflected in the national consultation.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your suburb or organisation, if you wish]

Help Us Show Local Interest

If your family has a child who may study Ukrainian in the senior years—or if you are an educator or community member willing to support the initiative—please contact UAANT. Sharing that interest helps us present an accurate Territory picture if education authorities consult our association.

Please also share this update with schools, educators, families and multicultural networks across the NT.

The students are there. The demand is there. The expertise is there. Let us make sure the Territory's voice is there too.

Наша мова. Наша спадщина. Наше майбутнє.

Our language. Our heritage. Our future.

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Further Information

• A new milestone in restoring Ukrainian language studies (Association of Ukrainians in Victoria)
• Senior years curriculum in the Northern Territory
• Australian Government report explaining the CCAFL model
• NT Parliament contact details for the Hon Jo Hersey MLA