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A determined campaign to preserve a 148-year tradition of teaching Ancient Greek at one of Australia\u2019s most prestigious private schools is gathering impressive momentum.<\/p>\n
Melbourne\u2019s Xavier College, a leading Jesuit institution in Kew, confirmed earlier this year that it would suspend Classical Greek from its 2027 subject offerings. The decision ends continuous instruction in the language that began in 1878, making Xavier the last mainstream secondary day school in Victoria still offering the subject.<\/p>\n
School principal Lee MacMaster said the move was driven by \u201cextremely low\u201d enrolments. Only three students in Years 9 and 10 had indicated interest for the coming year, with just one Year 10 pupil planning to continue to VCE level. The college also cited broader systemic challenges, including Victoria\u2019s reliance on the more demanding New South Wales HSC examination and the absence of a dedicated Victorian syllabus.<\/p>\n
The announcement triggered a swift community response. Parents, alumni, academics and members of the Greek-Australian diaspora launched an online petition that has already attracted more than 700 signatures. Campaign organisers stress they have no intention of criticising the school, which they credit with \u201ckeeping the flame alive\u201d for nearly a century and a half.<\/p>\n
Among the high-profile backers are former federal MP Maria Vamvakinou, Professor Adrian Kelly (Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford and a Xavier old boy), the Ancient Greek Outreach Network (AGON), and the Pharos Alliance. Professor Kelly described the subject as having expanded his intellectual horizons far beyond suburban Melbourne and urged the college not to deny future generations the same opportunity.<\/p>\n
Xavier parent John McClelland, who initiated the petition, said his own son is due to enter Year 9 next year and had hoped to study the language of Homer, Plato and Sophocles. \u201cIt is truly a treasure,\u201d he told supporters.<\/p>\n
Despite suspending the programme, Xavier College has left the door ajar. Officials confirmed they remain in active discussions with representatives of the Greek community and other educational networks, and have not permanently ruled out reinstating the subject should student demand recover.<\/p>\n
For many in Melbourne\u2019s large Greek community, the campaign represents more than the fate of a single elective. They see it as a vital defence of classical education and a living link to the foundations of Western civilisation.<\/p>\n