The Queensland Tongan Language School was opened in Brisbane, Australia on Saturday 8 February. The school is hosted at Griffith University Logan Campus and offers a 12-month-course in the Tongan language.

It is the first Tongan language school to be opened in the state of Queensland. Tongan language schools have been established in at least two other Australian states, Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

The school is run by the Brisbane Tongan Community and funded by the Brisbane City Council. It opens on Saturdays from 2pm to 4pm and provides classes to “Joeys” (Pre-schoolers), “Koalas” (Primary schoolers) and “Brumbies” (Open adult learners).

In the opening ceremony, pacific community liaison officer Bruce Manu-Sione said that the school was receiving non-Tongan students.

“The course is designed for beginners in all age groups and we are so stoked to see the diversity of ethnicities joining the classes, including Papālangi, Samoans, Māori and Tongans”, said Manu-Sione.

According to the Australian 2016 Census, there are over 32,691 Australians with Tongan ancestry with 17.2% residing in Queensland. An estimated 82.3% speak Tongan at home fluently.