VSL celebrates 40 years in Ballarat

Victorian School of Languages celebrates 90 years in Victoria and 40 years in Ballarat.

Did you know you can study one of over 40 languages through Victorian School of Languages (VSL) through Distance Education or one of 6 languages through evening classes at Ballarat High School? 

The Victorian School of Languages (VSL) commenced operating in 1935 with Saturday classes at MacRobertson Girls’ High School.  Perhaps surprisingly, the first languages offered were Italian and Japanese.

The Saturday classes quickly proved successful and over time, it expanded, adapting to Victoria’s evolving language requirements both in urban and rural areas.  Today there are 42 VSL centres providing instruction in over 40 languages to 15,000 students through face-to-face classes and 1,400 students via distance education.

The VSL Ballarat centre commenced in 1985 at Ballarat High School. We currently offer Foundation to Year 10 Japanese, Chinese, Punjabi and Telugu classes. Hindi will be commencing in Term 2 2025. There has also been a proposal for Malayalam classes to commence potentially in 2026 pending funding approval. 

Students can enrol via the VSL website https://web.vsl.vic.edu.au/language-finder/ or speak to Loretta Kelly in the Library.

Classes operate on a Thursday evening from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. Students also have the option to enrol in the Distance Education program at VCE level for Japanese, Chinese and Punjabi. New languages could be offered based on community need and funding.