Year 12 Greek in Victoria at Risk: Urgent Community Meeting Today at the Greek Centre
by Arthur G · Greek City TimesYear 12 Greek in Victoria could disappear from community language schools from next year, and the Greek Community of Melbourne has called an urgent public meeting for today, Sunday 15 November 2026, at 5:00pm to plan a response.
Meeting details
Where: Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
When: Sunday 15 November 2026, 5:00pm
Who: parents, grandparents, teachers, students and anyone who cares about the Greek language
What has happened
On Friday evening, Community Languages Victoria (CLV) emailed community language schools to say that from 2027 it is no longer authorised by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) to deliver the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
Read more: Greek Community of Melbourne Schools Launch One Recipe, One Story
According to the Greek Community of Melbourne, this means every community language school accredited through CLV will be unable to run a VCE program next year. In practical terms, the Saturday and after-school Greek schools that many children attend may not be allowed to teach Year 12 Greek from 2027.
Why it matters
The numbers studying Greek at the highest level have already fallen sharply. In 1998, around 650 students studied Greek in Year 12. By 2023, the figure was 196.
Most of those Year 12 students learn Greek through community schools rather than at their regular school. More than 4,000 children attend Greek afternoon and Saturday classes across Victoria, yet fewer than 200 continue to Year 12.
Community advocates warn that removing the Year 12 pathway would push those numbers down even further. That would mean fewer Greek teachers in the future, and fewer children able to speak with their yiayia and pappou in their own language.
The change does not only affect Greek. Language communities right across Victoria rely on CLV-accredited schools to offer VCE subjects, and all of them face the same uncertainty.
A call to the community
The Greek Community of Melbourne is asking everyone with a stake in Greek-language education to attend this afternoon’s meeting at the Greek Centre and help shape a coordinated response.
“Our language is how we stay connected to who we are,” the call to action reads. “Let’s make sure the next generation can still learn it.”
Read more: Classical Greek Faces Uncertain Future in Victorian Schools and La Trobe University Secures Three-Year Funding Boost for Modern Greek Studies
Sources
- Greek Community of Melbourne: https://www.greekcommunity.com.au/schools
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