26.11.25

Hundreds of community language teachers have celebrated their contribution to multiculturalism and bilingualism at the annual dinner of the NSW Federation of Community Language Schools in Sydney.

The Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Jihad Dib, said at the dinner:

“As an educator prior to becoming an MP, I know the contribution these teachers make and I have long been a supporter of the work they do to celebrate our diverse community.

“I was proud to join with teachers, students, families and the leadership of the wonderful Federation of Community Language Schools on this incredible night of celebration, recognition and joy.

“I have always believed that learning a language is not just about the words, but the culture, spirit and identity we all have within us.”

The newly elected Leader of the Opposition in the NSW Parliament, Kellie Sloane, said:

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my first day as NSW Liberal Leader than celebrating the multicultural communities that make our state great.

“It was a pleasure to meet the hardworking, aspirational and inspiring volunteers, parents and students who keep our state’s community language schools thriving.

“The NSW Liberals and Nationals delivered record funding for community language schools when we were last in government because we recognised the vital role they play in keeping children connected to their family, culture and heritage.

“I was truly touched by the warm welcome, and I pledged to return every year if I can.”

Languages represented:

Akan
Arabic
Aramaic/Syriac
Armenian
Assyrian
Bangla
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Burmese
Cantonese
Cook Islands Maori
Chaldean/Urhi
Croatian
Czech and Slovak
Dari
Dinka
Dutch
Farsi/Persian
Filipino
Finnish
German
Greek
Gujarati
Hebrew
Hindi
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Kannada
Karen
Khmer
Korean
Krio
Lao
Macedonian
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Mandaean
Mandarin
Mandingo
Maori
Marathi
Mongolian
Ndebele
Nepalese
Polish
Portuguese
Pulaar
Punjabi
Russian
Samoan
Sanskrit
Serbian
Shona
Sinhala
Sou Sou
Spanish
Swahili
Swedish
Tamil
Telugu
Thai
Tibetan
Tongan
Turkish
Uighur
Ukrainian
Urdu
Vietnamese
Yoruba

During the dinner, the Federation honoured one of the Greek community’s most dedicated educators, Mrs Soula Tsilimos, for an extraordinary 47 years of service in Modern Greek language education.

Mrs Tsilimos was presented with a Medal of Service by Minister Jihad Dib and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane.

Speaking on the night, Mrs Tsilimos expressed her gratitude:

“I am humbled and deeply honoured to receive this award. I wish my late husband, Michael Tsilimos, could be here to celebrate this achievement with me. I know he would be so proud.”

The CEO of the Federation, Michael Christodoulou, congratulated Mrs Tsilimos, whom he described as one of the Greek community’s most dedicated educators, and thanked all who participated in making the dinner a great success:

“Soula’s dedication, passion and warmth have shaped the lives of countless students. Her influence reaches far beyond the classroom — she has built bridges between language, culture and our diverse community in NSW.”

“This Gala Dinner has become a major annual event for our schools, celebrating diversity and achievements. It is the biggest of our sector in Australia,” he said.

The NSW Federation of Community Language Schools Inc. is the peak body for the after-hours community schools, representing over 220 member schools, more than 29,000 students, 2,700 teachers, and dedicated volunteers teaching 72 languages across 460 locations in NSW.