The following residents of the ACT draw the attention of the Assembly to the recent confirmation that CIT will not be accepting new enrolments for its Year 11-12 ATAR language courses in 2026.
From 2017 to 2023 the Canberra Academy of Languages (CAL) provided courses for Year 11-12 students to continue learning in their chosen languages, where these courses were not available through their local college. In 2024 and 2025, an equivalent program has been delivered by CIT Solutions.
The languages offered included French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Tamil. The ACT Education Directorate is currently advising students CIT will not be enrolling new students in 2026 and beyond. This model involves students attending one face to face two-hour lesson per week, in a central Canberra location outside of normal school hours. It allows students to undertake most of their studies at their local college and is accessible to all Canberra students.
It fills a known gap in the provision of language education to senior secondary students in the ACT. The programs in part target students who studied a language in high school (years 7-10) that is not taught in any of their local colleges, and who wish to continue these studies in years 11-12.
For example, students who study French at Canberra High School, as French is not taught at any colleges in the greater Belconnen area. Similar programs operate in most other states and territories in Australia and are operated by the governments in those jurisdictions. To lose this program would be doing a great disservice to future generations of students in the ACT.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to call on the ACT Government to replicate the Year 11-12 ATAR language courses in 2026 within the ACT Education Directorate, starting with year 11 students in February 2026, so all ACT students can continue studying their chosen language at the ATAR level.