Aboriginal languages alive and strong
Almost 6000 students from Kindergarten to Year 11 are learning an Aboriginal language in 79 public schools across Western Australia.
At one school - Brookman Primary School in Perth's southern suburb of Langford - Year 5/6 students are creating their own Noongar language books.
Students are writing and illustrating their own stories, the best of which are used as a resource for students from Years 3 to 7.
It is estimated that of the 250 Indigenous languages spoken at the time of European settlement, only 90 languages are still surviving. Of these, 70 are described as threatened or severely endangered and 20 as strong.
Twenty five Aboriginal languages are taught to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students in remote, rural and metropolitan schools.
As well as helping to preserve the language, the lessons enhance the identity, self esteem and engagement of Aboriginal students and promote reconciliation with the wider community.