that:
- ACT Government policy requires that students in years 7 and 8 receive at least 150 minutes per week of instruction in one of eight priority languages;
- Hawker Primary School provides specialist instruction in French to students from kindergarten to year 6;
- French was taught to students in years 7 and 8 at Belconnen High School until a 2017 decision to discontinue it; and
- Belconnen High School students in years 7 and 8 now have no access to instruction in any priority language despite government policy.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call upon the ACT Government to:
- take all steps necessary to resume the teaching of French for students in years 7 and 8 at Belconnen High School; and
- if required, offer incentives and provide sufficient supports to attract and/or train a specialist teacher.