Frequently Asked Questions about the SAIL Program.
*Times may vary slightly at each campus.
SAIL works directly with the South Sudanese community, encompassing students of all ages across Australia. Every SAIL student has individual needs that are far ranging, from early childhood literacy practise through to tertiary level exam study. All our students have incredible potential, and often inspire others with their achievements.
There is no such thing as ‘Sudanese’ as a language. Many of the students speak a colloquial version of Arabic known as Juba Arabic, which is the ‘official’ language in Sudan. Others speak languages local to their home region. By some estimates, Sudan has over 915 tribal languages. The Dinka, Nuer and Bari languages are spoken by many of our students. Some also speak Swahili, where they have spent time in Kenya or Uganda before coming to Australia.
The levels of English are greatly varied, and depend on many factors, including how long they have been in Australia, whether or not they had any English lessons before coming here and how much (if any) English their parents speak. There are children as young as three, or five, who are bilingual, while some adults are illiterate, not only in English but in their first language as well.
Coordinators are present each week at every campus, and part of their role is to assist tutors by providing suggestions, examples and techniques, as well as disseminate any available resources. External professionals are sometimes invited to SAIL to give talks to help provide further educational advice.
SAIL does not have a set curriculum and does not ‘measure’ the progress of students academic achievements. All tutors are encouraged to lead each session and to come to SAIL each week prepared with a lesson plan for their student.
We appreciate that SAIL volunteers lead busy and diverse lives and that attendance every week cannot be guaranteed. We ask that in these situations, that you always let the campus coordinator know in advance.
For any further questions, please feel free to contact us.