Indonesian language program given stay of execution

THE Indonesian language program at the University of NSW has been given a stay of execution after a national outcry.

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THE Indonesian language program at the University of NSW has been given a stay of execution after a national outcry joined by opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop.

Last week, UNSW said it would not take new students next year because enrolments were too low "to justify maintaining the Indonesian program". The news dismayed Indonesian academics, partly because it came at a time when both sides of politics have been talking up the challenge of the Asian Century and the need for Asian language learning.

Ms Bishop argued that UNSW should be working harder to promote Indonesian and drew a link between language programs and Australia's national interests. Last night, she welcomed news of a reprieve for the Indonesian program, stressing "the strategic national importance of such facilities".

Yesterday, the dean of arts at UNSW, James Donald, said the university would keep enrolments open for new students next year. He said the lone Indonesian lecturer had made it clear she would not be retiring for "the next couple of years at least".

Faced with her retirement, and just 16 students in Indonesian compared with 1100 in Japanese, UNSW had felt it could not justify replacing her, Professor Donald said. This was why UNSW had decided last week to send any new students of Indonesian across town to the University of Sydney.

As news of the UNSW reversal spread yesterday, there was speculation the federal government had intervened.

Under a 2006 policy, Indonesian and Arabic were designated "nationally strategic languages", meaning universities must seek approval for any closure.

There was no intervention at UNSW, according to the arts dean and the department of tertiary education. "I've been briefing the department and I'm actually writing Julie Bishop a letter explaining to her what we're doing," Professor Donald said.

He could not guarantee UNSW would replace its Indonesian lecturer when she reached retirement.