James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. Will the minister update the Senate on the Turnbull government's trial of an innovative learning app to help boost curiosity and skills in science, technology, engineering and maths among preschoolers?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, we know, and I think all senators in this place hopefully appreciate, that some of the fastest growing job opportunities in Australia require STEM skills across the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. That was certainly recognised in the Turnbull government's National Innovation and Science Agenda. That's why yesterday I was pleased to announce, as another plank of that agenda being rolled out, that there are some 100 preschools across Australia that will trial a new $6 million program that the Turnbull government is supporting to introduce some of our youngest learners to science, technology, engineering and mathematics learnings. This new program will help those children to explore new ideas in STEM that will in turn boost their own personal literacy and numeracy capabilities. It's called ELSA, and it ensures that early learning for young Australians in science is available. It is being kicked off as part of National Literacy and Numeracy Week here in 2017.

As the pilot rolls out to 100 schools that have been chosen to undertake a trial next year in 2018, I look forward to seeing how those preschools embrace the opportunity to develop the numeracy skills and scientific curiosity that will build school readiness in our youngest learners. With that school readiness, it will also hopefully inspire them to be able to go further in their learning of science and technology disciplines. Preschools may not have specialist science or maths teachers, but the resource that is being deployed in this pilot is one that can be accessed appropriately by all early childhood educators. It will bring fun, play-based learning to those preschoolers by introducing them, at the right level, to the science disciplines and maths—developing their knowledge, enhancing their interest and curiosity, and ensuring that, in future, we have school-ready preschoolers who go to school with a strong interest to pursue those STEM discipline well into their future.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Paterson, a supplementary question?

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the minister apprise the Senate of the progress of another innovative early learning program, Early Learning Languages Australia?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ELSA program is built on and expanding on the success of another program, ELLA—Early Learning Languages Australia—which helps to engage preschoolers in languages other than English. We have now seen some 1,800 preschools across Australia choose to engage in the ELLA program, helping more than 60,000 young Australian children to access different languages. Assessment by Deloitte Access Economics and Swinburne University of Technology shows that ELLA is delivering outstanding results already. Around two-thirds of parents and guardians have observed their child using parts of the target language in their home environment. They are taking their learnings of different languages from preschool home with them. This is lifting the expectation and ambition of parents to be able to access and engage their children to continue to learn other languages in future, and 87 per cent of educators expect children to continue with their interest in languages as a result of this exposure. (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Paterson, a final supplementary question?

James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister inform the Senate how the government is applying best practice in early learning programs?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for the question. Evidence shows that around 30 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under 14 do not speak English well, competently or at all. So as part of this year's budget, we also announced an expansion of this model of learning to particularly focus on early language learning for Indigenous children. This ELLIC trial will aim to improve English literacy outcomes for ATSI children for whom English is a second or subsequent language. It will build on the success of ELLA and will provide an opportunity for children in remote Indigenous communities in particular to be exposed in different ways to the English language with the support in their Indigenous languages. Around 20 preschools across Australia will trial ELLIC, and they will have the opportunity for it to be built in native Indigenous languages, providing that exposure of English language learning to help children who otherwise struggle when they get into the school years due to a lack of English in the early years of their lives.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.