INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Perry Township Schools now offers Chin language classes at the high school level. Thirty percent of the student population is Asian, with the majority of them of Burmese and Chin heritage.

The Chin heritage class aims to educate freshman students about their own culture and language, something many Chin families weren’t allowed to do before they left Burma because they were in the minority.

“All of our Chin kids here, some grew up here and some came here as a refugee and they grow up and they do not speak very well and they do not know to write it as well, but they can have a basic conversation at home. By offering this class, it helps our kids to promote our language, promoting our culture, and and that will be helpful when we reach out to parents, community and Perry Township,” teacher Sui Tial said.

As student Christina sees it, the class takes a deeper look into her own culture and learning about geography in Burma.

“If you learn more about your culture, and if you meet people in the same culture as you, it’ll be easier for you to communicate with each other,” she said.

Student Ajit Sa is taking the class to communicate better with his dad and learn more about his history.

“I can’t really write any chin words. I never really learned how to,” Sa said.

Perry Township has the largest Burmese population in the country, with growing populations in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne.

“The population felt very comforted, supported here at the school system so families that were perhaps resettled somewhere else were traveling to Indianapolis and specifically Perry Township because they knew they had a good community here and supportive education system within our schools,” Southport High School Principal Amy Boone said.

The initiative is also a point of pride for Boone, who believes this class is just the beginning.

“The school is part of the community. In order for us to really help develop our students to be successful, we have to do this together,” Boone said. “For us, being able to expand and work with our community just enhances that experience for our students.”

Leaders in the Chin community are happy the culture is embraced, especially as the Chin population continues to rise.

“We never had the chance to learn our language in school. Here in America, we are learning at school our language, so this is a big thing for us,” Julie Zing, executive director of Chin Community of Indiana, said.

Community leaders see the class as a way to bridge a gap between Chin and other multicultural communities in Indiana.

“We would like to see other communities, like Latin or African American to be able to see us as a unique language. If they learn it, that would be cool because coming from different countries you speak a language and you belong to the community. I see it as a connection for other communities,” Zing told News 8.

In the future, Perry Township schools would like to see the class expanded to all grade levels so that native chin speakers and the community have an opportunity to learn more about their culture.