Move FM Regional news

LITHGOW, Central West, NSW, Australia – Pied Piper Pre-school in Wallerawang will get state government support towards teaching a local Wiradjuri language, and to provide a number of resources to educate the children at the school about the culture of the local Aboriginal community.

This program will be beneficial to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children alike in the Bathurst electorate,” Paul Toole, the Local Member for Bathurst said Tuesday. (Wallerawang, in the City of Lithgow, forms part of the Bathurst electorate).

“Evidence shows that learning a second language has long-term developmental benefits for our kids, and this program will also ensure all children, no matter what their background, have a strong connection to the Aboriginal history of our region.”

The Minister for Early Childhood Education and Aboriginal Affairs said this is just another way the NSW Government is putting the importance of Australia’s rich Aboriginal history front-and-centre in educational settings.

“In 2017, NSW made history as the first state in Australia to pass legislation acknowledging the value and importance of language and culture to Aboriginal people,” Ms Mitchell said.

“We all know how absorbent children’s minds are in the early years of education, so programs like the one at Pied Piper will ensure they carry this knowledge throughout their lives and pass it on to younger generations.”

The 50-year old school every day has its pre-school pupils acknowledge the Wiradjuri people as a mark of respect. The school posts a statement on its website too which acknowledges, “We know we are on Wiradjuri lands.”