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Rural and Remote Education Inquiry Briefing Paper

Rural and Remote Education Inquiry Briefing Paper

D. Commonwealth, State and Territory policies and programs

D1 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy

Involvement of Aboriginal people in educational decision-making

Goal 1 To establish effective arrangements for the participation of Aboriginal parents and community members in decisions regarding the planning, delivery and evaluation of pre-school, primary and secondary education services for their children.

Goal 2 To increase the number of Aboriginal people employed as educational administrators, teachers, curriculum advisers, teachers assistants, home-school liaison officers and other education workers, including community people engaged in teaching of Aboriginal culture, history and contemporary society, and Aboriginal languages.

Goal 3 To establish effective arrangements for the participation of Aboriginal students and community members in decisions regarding the planning, delivery and evaluation of post-school education services, including technical and further education colleges and higher education institutions.

Goal 4 To increase the number of Aboriginal people employed as administrators, teachers, researchers and student services officers in technical and further education colleges and higher education institutions.

Goal 5 To provide education and training services to develop the skills of Aboriginal people to participate in educational decision-making.

Goal 6 To develop arrangements for the provision of independent advice for Aboriginal communities regarding educational decisions at regional, State, Territory and National levels.

Equality of access to educational services

Goal 7 To ensure that Aboriginal children of pre-primary school age have access to pre-school services on a basis comparable to that available to other Australian children of the same age.

Goal 8 To ensure that all Aboriginal children have local access to primary and secondary schooling.

Goal 9 To ensure equitable access for Aboriginal people to post-compulsory secondary schooling, to technical and further education, and higher education.

Equity of educational participation

Goal 10 To achieve the participation of Aboriginal children in pre-school education for a period similar to that for all Australian children.

Goal 11 To achieve the participation of all Aboriginal children in compulsory schooling.

Goal 12 To achieve the participation of Aboriginal people in post-compulsory secondary education, in technical and further education, and in higher education, at rates commensurate with those of all Australians in those sectors.

Equitable and appropriate educational outcomes

Goal 13 To provide adequate preparation of Aboriginal children through pre-school education for the schooling years ahead.

Goal 14 To enable Aboriginal attainment of skills to the same standard as other Australian students throughout the compulsory schooling years.

Goal 15 To enable Aboriginal students to attain the successful completion of Year 12 or equivalent at the same rates as for other Australian students.

Goal 16 To enable Aboriginal students to attain the same graduation rates from award courses in technical and further education, and in higher education, as for other Australians.

Goal 17 To develop programs to support the maintenance and continued use of Aboriginal languages.

Goal 18 To provide community education services which enable Aboriginal people to develop the skills to manage the development of their communities.

Goal 19 To enable the attainment of proficiency in English language and numeracy competencies by Aboriginal adults with limited or no educational experience.

Goal 20 To enable Aboriginal students at all levels of education to have an appreciation of their history, cultures and identity.

Goal 21 To provide all Australian students with an understanding of and respect for Aboriginal traditional and contemporary cultures.

One context for the Indigenous Education Policy is the Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the 21st Century. All States and Territories adhere to both Policy and Declaration.

The new goals [Adelaide Declaration, 1999] require that schooling should be socially just, so that [among other things]:

 

  • students' outcomes from schooling are free from the effects of negative discrimination based on sex, language, culture and ethnicity, religion or disability, and of differences arising from students' socio-economic background or geographic location;

     

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have equitable access to, and opportunities in, schooling so that their learning outcomes improve and, over time, match those of other students;

     

  • all students understand and acknowledge the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to Australian society and possess the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to and benefit from, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (DETYA submission, page 10).

 

 

D2 Commonwealth funding programs

 

Commonwealth funding programs for Indigenous education are detailed in the DETYA submission

D2.1 Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Program (IESIP)

Information about IESIP is drawn from the DETYA submission pages 46-47 and Schedule 9 and from the evidence of Peter Buckskin, Assistant Secretary, Indigenous Education, DETYA, at the Canberra hearing on 26 October 1999.

IESIP is a funding program controlled by legislation.The objects of the Indigenous Education (Supplementary Assistance) Act 1989 (Cth) are

  • to increase the participation of Indigenous people in education decision-making (section 4)
  • to ensure equal education access for Indigenous people (section 5)
  • to ensure equity of participation in education for Indigenous people (section 6)
  • to achieve equitable and appropriate educational outcomes for Indigenous people (section 7)
  • to encourage the development of education services that are culturally appropriate for Indigenous people (section 7A).

Funding is provided direct to education and training providers in the preschool, school and VET sectors under three elements: Supplementary Recurrent Assistance (SRA); Transitional Project Assistance (TPA); and Strategic Results Projects (SRP). SRA is allocated on a per capita basis. Numbers are calculated annually and there is a loading for geographically remote education providers. Remaining IESIP budget is allocated to TPA and SRP.

In 1999-2000 the total IESIP budget is $127.5 million.

Indigenous Education Agreements between the Commonwealth and recipients of IESIP funding include performance indicators and annual targets addressing performance in each of eight areas identified by MCEETYA in 1995 as national priorities in achieving improved educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians. These eight areas are:

 

  • improve literacy achievement;
  • improve numeracy achievement;
  • increase Indigenous employment in education and training;
  • improve educational outcomes;
  • increase Indigenous enrolments;
  • increase involvement of Indigenous parents and community members in educational decision-making;
  • increase professional development of staff involved in Indigenous education; and
  • expand culturally-inclusive curricula (DETYA submission, Schedule 9).

An evaluation of IESIP can be perused at DETYA submission Schedule 6.

D2.2 Indigenous Education Direct Assistance (IEDA)

Information about IEDA is drawn from the DETYA submission pages 44-45 and from the evidence of Peter Buckskin, Assistant Secretary, Indigenous Education, DETYA, at the inquiry's Canberra hearing on 26 October 1999.

IEDA has three components:

  1. Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ATAS)
  2. Vocational and Education Guidance for Aboriginals Scheme (VEGAS)
  3. Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness Programme (ASSPA).

The IEDA budget was $60.2 million in 1998-99 and $62.2 million in 1999-2000.

ATAS

In a total ATAS expenditure of $36.3m for 1998, an estimated $9.5m (26.2%) was provided for remote students and $26.8m for non-remote students (DETYA submission, page 44).

ATAS was both commended and criticised at a public meeting in Bairnsdale Victoria.

On a positive note, the Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme is really working. Students who have even been assessed as disabled, with one-on-one tutorials they come up to the average level for their age group whereas previously they could have been several years behind (Bairnsdale Vic public meeting, 11 November 1999).

There was some criticism, however, of the fact that ATAS funding can only be used before or after school or in free study periods for VCE students (Bairnsdale Vic public meeting, 11 November 1999).

VEGAS

There were over 700 VEGAS projects funded in 1998 for a total expenditure in 1998 of $9.5m. An estimated $3.7m (38.9%) was provided for remote students and $5.8m for non-remote students (DETYA submission, page 45).

ASSPA

Around 3,800 committees were funded under ASSPA in 1998. In 1998, 44,485 remote Indigenous preschool, primary and secondary school students (42.2%) and 60,841 non-remote (including some rural) Indigenous preschool, primary and secondary school students participated in ASSPA. Expenditure for 1998 was $17.7m - $9.9m (55.9%) for remote students and $7.8m for non-remote students (DETYA submission, page 45).

[ASSPA] was actually evaluated in 97-98, an internal evaluation by the then DEETYA. Really the findings were that it's probably one of the most successful programs, with the aim to increase parent participation in the schools; at school level it was certainly very, very successful. But it has a whole range of other outcomes or goals as well, or objectives, and that clearly is also an increased student awareness and student participation as well . Unfortunately their involvement in, say, from being in an ASSPA community, onto the school council, to the school board - that transition into that was one of the aims, to get them into mainstream decision-making in the school -that hasn't happened at a rate that we'd like it to happen (Peter Buckskin, DETYA, Canberra hearing, 26 October 1999).

D2.3 ESL-ILSS

The ESL-ILSS [English as a Second Language - Indigenous Language Speaking Students] Programme commenced in 1998 and assists Indigenous students commencing mainstream schooling to function at the most basic level in the classroom in English and participate in a meaningful way in classroom activities. The programme is tightly targeted to those students who have very limited exposure to, or use of, English in their communities and will be required to use the English language for the first time in a sustained manner. Each eligible student attracts a once only payment of $3079. Funds are provided to the education authority responsible for the student's schooling. Funds are available for a wide range of development and support strategies which contribute to the student's ESL tuition.

In 1998, 2,398 Indigenous students were assisted under the ESL-ILSS programme to a value of $7.3 million. Of these, 44 percent were located in Western Australia, 33 percent in the Northern Territory, 14.5 percent in Queensland, seven percent in South Australia and 1.5 percent in New South Wales. The majority of the students were located in the public sector (89.5 percent), followed by the Catholic (6.5 percent) and the independent (4 percent) sectors (DETYA submission, page 46).

D2.4 Anti-racism

[T]he national project on racism in schools, which is tentatively titled 'Racism, No Way', is being actually run by New South Wales . It's looking to develop anti-racism educational materials for all schools right across Australia. Thus far we've produced the core booklet that will go to every school in Australia. We've just become the largest partner in the Commonwealth's Living in Harmony anti-racism initiative, and, through Living in Harmony, are sponsoring a Web site that will be available to all schools and provide extensive information about racism as an issue, ideas for classroom practises in anti-racism and will link schools so that schools can open up a dialogue about how they're dealing with racism issues (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

D2.5 2000-2004

The following strategies will be pursued by the MCEETYA Taskforce on Indigenous Education appointed April 1999.

To help improve literacy and numeracy levels of Indigenous students, the Commonwealth will provide funding of up to $13 million over 2000-2004 under a National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The Strategy will bring together the best practice models, teaching methods and the successful conclusions drawn from the Strategic Results Projects for use in areas of priority need, particularly in rural and remote areas.

In addition, the Commonwealth will support a National Indigenous Students' School Attendance Strategy to pilot successful practices and is prepared to make available up to $14 million over the 2000 to 2004 period for this purpose. Projects will target areas where Indigenous attendance levels are lowest, often in rural and isolated areas (DETYA submission, page 49).

 

 

D3 NSW

 

D3.1 Overview

The detail of programs for Indigenous students in government schools in NSW can be found in the NSW Department of Education and Training submission.

The central theme of the Aboriginal Education Policy is the promotion of educational achievements by Aboriginal students in the context of educating all students about Aboriginal Australia. It reflects the views and values of Aboriginal people on education. The policy statement provides a comprehensive set of outcomes, as well as performance strategies to guide all department staff, schools, students and their communities in achieving the overall goals for Aboriginal education.

The policy has three focus areas:

 

  • Aboriginal Students: Improved educational outcomes through challenging and culturally appropriate curriculum, teaching and assessment.

     

  • Aboriginal Communities: Aboriginal communities and the department will become partners in the whole education process.

     

  • All staff - all students - all schools: All staff and students will have knowledge and understanding of and respect for Aboriginal Australia.

The participation of Aboriginal community members in all stages of the implementation strategy and the subsequent design, writing, delivery and evaluation of Aboriginal studies and perspective programs in schools is encouraged. Aboriginal people assist training and development courses with their skills and expertise (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 44).

The NSW Department of Education and Training informed the inquiry that "the major objective [of its programs for Aboriginal students] is for theirr educational outcomes in pre-schools to Year 12 to be enhanced by improving their levels of literacy and numeracy so that they are comparable with those of the rest of the student population across the State (NSW Department of Education and Training submission. page 44 or 45)

The New South Wales Department of Education and Training won a Human Rights Commission corporate award in 1995 for the Whole School Anti-Racism Project, which has now been implemented in many schools across New South Wales and in fact has been adopted by schools in other states. We have very strongly worded anti-racism agreements procedures that were published in 1992, and they're currently being revised (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

D3.2 IESIP projects

Strategic Results Projects are funded by the Commonwealth Government and directed at Indigenous youth in rural and remote communities. They aim at demonstrating ways in which Indigenous learning outcomes can be improved in a short period of time through concerted efforts. The NSW initiatives cover the following areas:

 

  • Transition from home to school
  • Literacy support in Years 4-6 and preparation for transition to secondary school
  • Technology and literacy support
  • Reading Recovery in Aboriginal communities
  • Support in juvenile justice institutions
  • Tracking the mobility rates of Aboriginal students to target and assist with literacy and numeracy support
  • Supporting vocational learning in secondary schools Retention of "at risk" Indigenous students (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 45 or 46).

Vocational education and training

NSW emphasises enhancing the employment prospects of Indigenous students.

The expansion of vocational education and training in schools is also potentially a very powerful retention strategy, as is the provision of relevant curriculum . At the moment, we're having discussions with our own people internally about vocational education and training for Aboriginal students before Year 11. Clearly, if we have a problem with Aboriginal students disengaging with schools in Year 9 or 10, putting in good Voc. Ed. programs in Year 11 is not going to be a terribly effective strategy; so we're looking at ways of providing vocationally related and more practical courses for those students - not just Aboriginal students, for a whole range of students - in the early secondary years (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

Vocational learning initiatives for Aboriginal students are funded by the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Program (IESIP) in a number of areas across the state. For example, five schools (Wilcannia Central, Bourke High, Brewarrina Central, Coomealla High, Narromine High) and one cluster of schools (the Dubbo City Mentor Project) have been funded to offer programs during 1999 which will improve the vocational learning opportunities for Aboriginal students.

The Job Placement Employment and Training Program (JPET) enables Aboriginal students, at Lake Cargelligo and Condobolin in particular, to access a number of TAFE courses delivered locally reducing the needs for students to have to travel to TAFE.

In the year 2000 a new HSC will be introduced as a result of a review commissioned by the government in 1995. The White paper, Securing Their Future, recommended the strengthening of VET as part of the HSC and that VET should become an integral part of the curriculum for all students regardless of their intended post-school destination (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 29).

Mobility tracking

High mobility of Indigenous children and families is also being addressed.

We've known anecdotally that Aboriginal families tend to move their children because of the extended family arrangements. Children tend to change their place of residence and therefore their schools quite frequently. But one of the IESIP programs that we've been running, one of the Commonwealth-funded programs on mobility tracking, has produced results that indicate that that factor is probably a more significant one than we had thought, but at the same time that project is also developing ways in which we can mitigate the effects of mobility on Aboriginal students by developing ways of using technology to provide very rapid information to the new school when the child changes school, so that we don't get the timelag we've had between when the child leaves one school, arrives at the next school and the teachers get to know the child and their learning needs. That could be a lag of another few weeks until that happens.

Under this system, the information is transmitted to the receiving school very quickly. It can also help the home school liaison officers to make contact with families in order to ensure that the child comes to school quickly after the move, rather than has a settling-in period at home before coming back to school (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

D3.3 Indigenous educators

Indigenous educators in the NSW government school system are

  • Aboriginal Education Resource Teachers support individual students under the Aboriginal Early Language Development Program. There are currently 22 in rural schools and five of these are Aboriginal teachers.

     

  • Aboriginal Education Assistants (AEAs) provide a range of education support and liaison activities within schools, pre-schools and juvenile justice institution schools. They are allocated on a per capita needs basis. This program was expanded in 1998-99 with an additional 82 positions established. An AEA is appointed when the school's enrolment of Aboriginal students is 30, identified for two consecutive years at the August census. When the number reaches 80, the school is entitled to two AEAs. An AEA is appointed to each juvenile justice detention centre. Where the school is isolated or where the school population is 100% Aboriginal, allocation of an AEA is made on special needs basis. There are currently 244 AEAs in rural and remote areas.

     

  • Aboriginal Community Liaison Officers (ACLOs) develop links between schools, communities and Aboriginal students and their families. Twenty-two ACLOs work in districts servicing rural communities.

     

  • Aboriginal Education Consultants (AECs) provide support and advice about education programs. Ten consultants are employed across the state and seven, all of whom are Aboriginal, are located in a district in a rural or remote area.

     

  • Aboriginal Student Liaison Officers work on a range of student welfare issues as they relate to school attendance and the following up of sustained absences. Eight of the eleven positions are in rural areas.

     

  • District Support Leaders were trained in August 1998 to support AECs and ACLOs in the presentation of training and development courses. Currently 67 have been trained for this important role.

    District Aboriginal Advisory Committees assist in the allocation process of Targeted Literacy Projects and the Attention, Retention and Intervention Program funding to schools (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 47 or 48).

    Home School Liaison Officers and Aboriginal Student Liaison Officers are allocated to districts on the basis of levels of absenteeism. Districts in geographically isolated areas receive an additional allocation due to the distances officers are required to travel. 36.5 (44%) of home school liaison officer positions are located in rural districts, compared to 35% of student enrolment K-9. Nine of the 12 Aboriginal Student Liaison Officers are based in rural districts ...

    Aboriginal Programs Unit has provided five rural districts with funds totalling $50 000 to support Aboriginal communities to establish regular patterns of school attendance among students in the early years of school (K-1). A temporary Aboriginal Student Liaison Officer position was created in Walgett from funds provided by the Behaviour and Attendance Unit. The position was created to address specific attendance issues in the district (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 39).

The inquiry heard criticism of the level of Indigenous staffing in NSW.

I think in a number of areas, quite frankly, the Department and the government pay lip service to certain areas and I think Aboriginal education is a classic example. Every district has a certain consultant for this and a consultant for that, or in some cases there's a consultant for 2 districts. The Aboriginal consultants have to work over 4 districts, 4 districts. That's, in most cases, 160 schools, 40 schools in each district. That's just outrageous. Aboriginal education is meant to be part of the overall curriculum of every school in New South Wales, you know, supposed to try and cover all of those sorts of things. Those people - it's tokenism, it's lip service, as far as I'm concerned (John Irving, NSW Teachers' Federation, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

In the Catholic school system

The placement of Aboriginal Education Workers (AEWs) in a school is determined by a combination of the following factors:

 

  • significant numbers of Indigenous students enrolled;
  • educational needs of the Indigenous students enrolled; and
  • locality of the school/isolation factors (Canberra-Goulburn Catholic Education Office submission, page 2).

D3.4 Aboriginal cultural studies

General awareness

The 1998 annual school reports contained information about the ways that schools across the State had implemented the Aboriginal Education Policy. The findings show that schools are actively involved in raising awareness of Aboriginal culture and history and in involving the Aboriginal community in school community activities. There is evidence from the reports that schools are aware of the Aboriginal Education Policy and the need for policy implementation. Implementation strategies include training and development to raise teacher awareness and skills in the area of Aboriginal education. Schools are also building up resources to support Aboriginal education programs.

The findings show that the initiatives used by schools to improve the learning outcomes of Aboriginal students included literacy programs, homework centres, Aboriginal Education Assistants to support individual students, and individual learning programs. Around half of the schools reported integrating an Aboriginal perspective across the curriculum and mentioned using Aboriginal community members as role models or guests to present aspects of Aboriginal culture and heritage such as dance, art, drama, storytelling, language and history (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 48).

Aboriginal Studies in the curriculum

You asked whether Aboriginal Studies was compulsory in any year anywhere. The Aboriginal Studies syllabus itself, like most other syllabi, is not compulsory. However, there are mandatory sections on Aboriginal Studies in other syllabuses, namely history and geography, Year 7 to 10 syllabuses; and the new primary human society and its environment syllabus also has mandatory Aboriginal education components (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

We've put a particular program into Walgett which is the Walgett Community of Schools Program, which carries with it quite considerable additional funding. What we want to see happen there is the development of programs on Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal history, delivered to all students in Walgett (John Sutton, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

D3.5 Language programs

NSW has an Aboriginal Literacy Strategy but no details were provided as to its contents or underlying assumptions. The inquiry received criticism of the State's failure to recognise Aboriginal English.

There is lack of support for Aboriginal English. While it's fairly mandatory in the Aboriginal education policy, in reality, it doesn't transfer itself in terms of reality for kids; so it's not being embellished and appreciated. Obviously, there needs to be more resources in terms of Aboriginal English support and, more importantly, other language programs (Professor John Lester, NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

However, Indigenous languages are taught in some parts of NSW.

There are currently 18 government schools running Aboriginal language programs across the state, but predominantly in rural areas (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

... we're teaching Murrawarri and Ngemba languages as a part of that LOTE program and we also have a Year 9 and Year 10 Aboriginal studies class going. We tried to offer Year 11 and Year 12 Aboriginal studies this year and we didn't have any takers, but we'll work on them. We hope that gradually as students go through they will pick that course.

The local people help out and they try and get out into the environment once a fortnight and I do feel that the students actually learn more by doing things and seeing things so it is very much focused on that level. I would say it is one of the most enjoyable subjects that they have experienced . It came through a couple of years ago that the community really wanted an Aboriginal language taught and they didn't want the children learning German or Japanese or something like that (Ruythe Dufty, Principal, Brewarrina Central School, Brewarrina hearing, 2 March 1999).

D3.6 Bilingual education

Not available in NSW.

D3.7 Infrastructure

No particular problems were raised which affect Indigenous students solely or primarily.

D3.8 Other programs

Access to Distance Education

All Distance Education Centres can enrol Aboriginal students. However, the new Open Training and Education Network directorate's first enrolment census in 1996 revealed very low Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enrolments.

Anecdotal evidence suggested that distance education was not being accessed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students because Aboriginal students generally live in towns with locally available schools. Research conducted in 1998 through Sydney Distance Education Primary School found, however, that many Aboriginal students who were eligible for enrolment were not enrolling because their families did not know about the service or considered that it would not meet their needs.

As a consequence of the research, Sydney Distance Education Primary School has undertaken major modifications to learning materials following extensive training and development of teaching staff. Steps have been taken to attract legitimate enrolments from the Aboriginal community within existing categories of Distance Education. The school's publications have been modified to show that the school is inclusive of Aboriginal people and an Aboriginal perspective has been incorporated in learning materials. Specific learning materials are being developed for Aboriginal students.

The research supports the view that Aboriginal students require special support to complete lessons satisfactorily. On enrolment, a suitable tutor needs to be identified. Distance Education Centres on the north coast of NSW, at Port Macquarie and Southern Cross, are negotiating new arrangements with Aboriginal communities, successfully leading to enrolments of students who would otherwise drop out of schooling. Amendment to the enrolment guidelines has occurred to assist travelling Aboriginal families and enable lessons to be received when they are visiting relatives, often for lengthy periods. In the case of Sydney Distance Education Primary School, an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer has been employed to help teachers better understand Aboriginal needs, and to bring management of the school's resources closer to the expressed needs of Aboriginal communities (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, pages 51-52).

New staff induction

It's becoming more and more the case now for young teachers going to work in those communities to begin the week before school begins with a very concentrated introductory program which brings them into the town, lets them get to know people in the town, and goes through the issues of Aboriginal education, the issues of teaching in Walgett, the issues of teaching in Brewarrina, and gives them initial contact with the family groups and the leaders in the communities (John Sutton, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney haring, 22 October 1999).

The 2-day induction by Aboriginal Education Assistants, Aboriginal teachers and elders conducted this year for new teachers in the district was said to be very successful (Moree NSW community meeting, 4 March 1999).

The government school system's efforts, however, were criticised.

We then come onto the teaching pedagogies and the difficulties there. Probably one of the most significant parts is that it is still not compulsory for teachers to do Aboriginal studies in their training. That's critical; that needs to be done. For a single reason as being a taxpayer, if we don't pick it up in preliminary training then we have to pick it up because it's a compulsory component of the policy in terms of Aboriginal education. As a taxpayer, we have to pick it up in staff development. Quite clearly, teachers are underdone extremely with regard to understanding Indigenous culture, understanding Indigenous kids and understanding the fundamentals of what makes an Aboriginal community tick. That leads to all sorts of difficulties (Professor John Lester, NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

Professional development in the Catholic schools system covers

1999 Indigenous Education Team professional development programs for teachers of Indigenous students and whole school staffs, through general staff meetings and through developed courses, include:

 

  • 'Teaching Aboriginal Students' - a 3 day program on teaching and learning for Aboriginal students. The course contains a large Indigenous cultural component and focus on commonalities among Indigenous students so as to increase teacher understanding, skills and teaching methodology for the students.

     

  • 'Teaching the Teachers' - a 14 module staff meeting program to assist teachers to increase their knowledge base concerning Indigenous cultures, histories and issues and to provide strategies for teachers to incorporate this new learning into their classroom programs.

     

  • Assist schools in developing an inclusive curriculum which includes Indigenous Studies and Perspectives across all Key Learning Areas, K-12. Funding for Indigenous teaching and learning resources and materials is available to schools through this initiative (Canberra-Goulburn Catholic Education Office submission, page 4).

Indigenous pedagogy

There was a question also about the teaching model imposed on Aboriginal children which fails to take into account cultural differences. We've currently trained 21,000 departmental staff since 1996 in the implementation of the Aboriginal education policy. That includes a significant cultural awareness component and sensitises teachers to the need to use culturally appropriate practises in classrooms.

I did want to mention, just in responding to that one, that many Aboriginal educators across the country are very resistant to the notion of an Aboriginal learning style, which was a very trendy notion of several years ago. It has even been said to me that they see that as a form of institutionalised racism that seeks to separate Aboriginal children and can therefore work against them. Our aim is simply to provide the best possible education for every student within the context that they're working. Clearly, where we have large populations of Aboriginal children, we need to have culturally appropriate practices in those schools (George Green, NSW Department of Education and Training, Sydney hearing, 22 October 1999).

Otitis media

One program related particularly to the needs of Aboriginal students, however, is the Otitis Media program. Itinerant Teachers (Hearing) provide advice and support to schools where there are numbers of Aboriginal students with hearing loss resulting from Otitis Media (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 46 or 47).

Parent and community involvement

'Streetbeat' is a community based initiative implemented to address school attendance issues in Bourke. Coordinated by the department, the initiative involves government and non-government schools, Bourke Shire Council, the NSW Police Service and other government agencies. 'Streetbeat' has improved school attendance in Bourke by 60% and the program has been extended to schools in Armidale, Taree and Moruya. The Walgett Community of Schools Project has also resulted in improvement in school attendance (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 39).

. in a number of country schools we have the school established as a Schools as Community Centre Program with a facilitator who works with the community in providing a range of programs and services. It's an inter-agency, whole government and using non-government services as well. We have one at Coonamble to which the Aboriginal community are very closely linked. An Aboriginal playgroup operates at the centre and it has been linked also with some literacy programs at the TAFE (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 40).

Pre-schools

Six pre-schools have been established in rural Aboriginal communities offering programs in literacy, numeracy and social development for the increasing numbers of children attending. A review has established that the programs being offered are effective. Evidence from the teachers in the primary schools to which the pre-schools are attached is that the students who attended pre-school were better prepared for school and attend more regularly than those who do not have access to pre-school experience. Since the establishment of these pre-schools, not only has the number of children attending increased but also the number of Aboriginal parents involved. An additional pre-school is planned to open at Walgett in Term 4, 1999 (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 45).

Parents as Teachers program operates in the rural communities of Ballina, Moree, Orange, Wagga Wagga. It is an early learning program for parents with children up to 3 years of age. The program acknowledges the influence of parents on the learning outcomes of children and the importance of the early childhood years as a period of major development. Parenting consultants support parents by making regular home visits, holding meetings and distributing information on child development (NSW Department of Education and Training submission, page 40)

 

 

D4 Northern Territory

 

D4.1 Overview

In the past 20 plus years this Government has opened new remote schools and Home Land Centre schools33; significantly refurbished and upgraded a number of existing schools and is resourcing them at a level comparable to urban schools - and, in many instances, even better.

In addition, staffing levels in remote schools are greatly boosted through the Indigenous Assistant Teacher Program at a cost to Government in the order of $7.5 million per annum.

The Department of Education is the largest employer of Indigenous people in the Territory. The NT Government currently commits $109 million, or 40 percent of the Department's annual budget, to Indigenous education. This is supplemented by additional funds from the Commonwealth to bring the total expenditure to some $140 million (NT Education Minister, Statement to Parliament, 24 November 1999; click here to view the full text of the Minister's statement).

Indigenous education in the NT was reviewed during 1999 by former Territory Labor Senator Bob Collins. Click here to read his report Learning Lessons.

D4.2 IESIP projects

No information provided in the NT Department's preliminary submission or in evidence to the Inquiry.

D4.3 Indigenous educators

The NT Department of Education advised that three categories of Indigenous educators are employed: Aboriginal Assistant Teachers, Aboriginal and Islander Education Workers and Home Liaison Officers. Aboriginal Assistant Teachers "are employed in all community schools" (NT Department of Education submission, page 6).

D4.4 Aboriginal cultural studies

No information provided in the NT Department's preliminary submission or in evidence to the Inquiry.

D4.5 Language teaching

The NT Department of Education informed the inquiry that it provides "support for Aboriginal language programs where requested by the local community" and employs ESL [English as a Second Language] staff to support to teachers of Aboriginal students (NT Department of Education submission, pages 6-7).

D4.6 Bilingual education

... whether we like it or not, and indeed the Collins Report reaffirms the fact, English literacy, oracy and numeracy are essential for economic survival in today's age. Developing these skills will give Aboriginal students options for full participation in mainstream society. The option to stay and work in their communities or, if they so chose, to move on to other places. Aboriginal students deserve, and are entitled to, the same options as other Australians. This government is committed to improving Indigenous students educational outcomes in these key areas.

... for most Aboriginal people living in remote communities English is a second language.

Our teaching programs need to reflect the language requirements of Aboriginal students. This means equipping our teachers as far as possible with the special skills involved in ESL teaching (NT Education Minister, Statement to Parliament, 24 November 1999).

The NT Government's policy has been widely condemned.

The ATSIC Board strongly supports bilingual education programs and condemns the Northern Territory Government's decision. The removal of the program is considered by the ATSIC Board as a denial of the right of Aboriginal people to equitable educational services and an attack on Aboriginal cultures.

By removing the bilingual education program, the NT Government is contravening the Indigenous Education Agreement entered into with the Commonwealth Government for the third triennium from 1997-1999. Under this agreement, the NT government has made a commitment to the progressive introduction of Indigenous language teaching in more schools over the current triennium (ATSIC submission, page 23).

It is difficult to interpret the Territory's government decision, which is endorsed by federal government, as anything but a direct attack on the relatively few remaining strong indigenous languages and the human rights of their ever-decreasing number of speakers. The decision will also mean job losses for many of the dedicated bilingual education workers in remote rural communities, the majority of whom are indigenous people. In turn, this will translate into even higher levels of unemployment among rural Australians (Christine Nicolls in a Radio National interview on 20 February 1999, quoted by Sister Anne Gardiner, Darwin hearing, 10 May 1999).

D4.7 Infrastructure

To enhance Indigenous students' attendance the NT Minister for Education has announced a 'Self-Managing Schools' program with pilots in selected remote communities.

The "Self-Managing Schools" pilots would resource selected schools on the potential school-aged population within a region.

Both the potential enrolment catchment and attendance requirements would be carefully negotiated with communities to ensure full local responsibility for attendance, together with stringent learning targets.

The idea behind the pilots, Mr Speaker, is to remove known impediments to effective learning outcomes, aggregate available funding, attract the right personnel, and enable local area school management the flexibility and autonomy to deliver innovative educational programs.

The "Self-Managing Schools" pilot program should:

 

  • Engage Indigenous people in greater responsibility for their children's attendance and learning;
  • Trial a comprehensive attendance strategy and student tracking system for implementation in all NT schools ...; and
  • Develop a management system reporting educational outcomes. This would have broad application throughout Territory schools as the program is expanded ... (NT Education Minister, Statement to Parliament, 24 November 1999).

D4.8 Other programs

The inquiry heard that otitis media-induced deafness and other poor health-related learning disabilities are endemic in the Territory.

... we will require the Head Teacher or Principal in each community to meet regularly with local health personnel to develop strategies that best suit the individual circumstances of each community and to monitor and track the progress of these measures. These new formalised arrangements will be in place for the commencement of the new school year [2000].

A real benefit of these measures will be the earlier detection of hearing and general ear problems which are a key factor affecting Aboriginal children's attentiveness and learning (NT Education Minister, Statement to Parliament, 24 November 1999).

The inquiry heard evidence that teachers are inadequately prepared to teach Indigenous students (38% of all NT students).

[A] young teacher who is in Port Keats and the real frustration and alienation that she feels as a result of her work there. Pretty isolated and absolutely no induction into what it would be like. Only one Professional Development session to assist her to understand some issues around language and literacy (Lynne Rolley, Independent Education Union, Melbourne hearing, 12 November 1999).

 

 

D5 Queensland

 

D5.1 Overview

To be completed when the Queensland Education Department submission is received.

D5.2 IESIP projects

We have the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Program [IESIP], and for that we have a total Education Queensland budget of $11 million. In rural and remote communities, that services 6,247 children, and that's at a budget of $2 million (Shane Williams, Education Queensland, Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

Finally, we also have the Indigenous Language Speaking Students Initiative. That's part of the English as a Second Language Initiative from the Commonwealth. That's a specific one-off initiative, and the Education Queensland budget for that is $777,600. We service 332 students, and those students are located in the Cape and Gulf communities and the Torres Straits. That specific initiative for Indigenous students is something that we're working actively on, on a national task force, to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speakers of second language as ESL students under the Commonwealth definitions (Shane Williams, Education Queensland, Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

D5.3 Indigenous educators

We have, throughout Queensland, 10 officers who are strategically located and titled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Participation Officers. Four of these officers are located in rural and remote communities. These officers identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community training and development needs and coordinate the delivery of appropriate training programs which aim to improve levels of participation of Indigenous people in educational decision-making.

We also employ, across Queensland, 77 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community education counsellors. These are located in secondary schools with large enrolments of Indigenous students. They provide the pastoral care to support the social, cultural and educational needs of these children (Shane Williams, Education Queensland, Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

69 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have successfully graduated from [RATEP - primary teacher education] and are currently teaching within rural and remote communities (Shane Williams, Education Queensland, Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

That number is 26% of the Indigenous teachers in Queensland, according to David McSwan, James Cook University (Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

D5.4 Curriculum

One of the key elements of the policies is looking at second language pedagogy, as well as cross-cultural pedagogy, because it was recognised throughout the review that students who were perhaps attending school or not making a decision to articulate on into the secondary arena felt that the programs were not culturally inclusive. The department is responding through providing a policy which will encourage teachers out there to undertake professional development and training based on second language pedagogy and cross-cultural pedagogy.

Secondly, the department is establishing a policy to establish compacts between school communities and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cohort, and so that particular policy is quite innovative, because you have a situation where school principals will be sitting down with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members and discussing what they perceive as the essential learnings that are required for them to translate from school into vocational educational training or higher ed. That's quite an innovative policy for Queensland.

...

We have, across Queensland, a Reconciliation in Schooling project, which is primarily curriculum resources that we've sent out to schools to encourage teachers how to inform their offerings with issues regarding teaching to diversity, teaching to - identifying that within this nation we have Aboriginal communities and Torres Strait Islander communities, and to promote the key strategic issues from the national reconciliation policy (Shane Williams, Education Queensland, Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

We have, in 1999, commenced a literacy and numeracy action research project. This is resourced at $3 million over the next three years, to improve literacy and numeracy skills of students whose first language is not English, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. 20 schools have been identified to participate in this project and 12 of these schools are located in rural and remote communities. Some of these include Doomadgee, Lockhart River, Arukun, Thursday Island, Badu Island, Bamaga, Woorabinda, Yarrabah and Palm Island. The project recognises that isolation is a factor that disadvantages students in terms of access to resources, professional development of teachers and community support structures. Each participating school in this action research project will be resourced with an additional teacher with skills in second language learning, as well as literacy and numeracy. An annual grant to cover professional development and training, networking and the purchasing of support materials will be resourced to the school (Shane Williams, Education Queensland, Brisbane hearing, 8 October 1999).

 

D6 South Australia

For full details refer to the South Australian Government submission.

See also South Australia's Plan for Aboriginal Education.

Other strategies in place to support Aboriginal students include:

 

  • Teaching and learning support to schools is available through Aboriginal Education Support Staff based in district offices
  • Aboriginal groups and communities providing integrated childcare and preschool service.
  • To inform and support Family Day Care Providers a training module addressing cultural awareness of Aboriginal people has been developed. This module is essential for registration as a Family Day Care Provider. Facilitator training has been completed and the module has been well received by participants.

Inclusive curriculum and methodologies are supported through training and development for all personnel. Training documents and courses include Teaching Aboriginal Children and Students, Aboriginal Perspectives across the Curriculum, Reconciliation, Countering Racism, and Aboriginal and Cultural Studies. These documents and courses encourage educators to include for all children and students a cultural perspective across current curriculum frameworks (SA Government submission, page 15).

The total number of students studying a language other than English [including Ngarrindjeri, Antikirinya, Arabana, Adnyamathanha, Wirangu and Pitjantjatjara] in country districts is 30,320 (1998 figures) (SA Government submission, page 16).

 

 

D7 Tasmania

 

Indigenous student support programs in both the government and Catholic schools systems in Tasmania focus on employment of Indigenous educators and advisers.

Each Department of Education District has a Support Service which includes an Aboriginal Education Officer ... They assist schools to implement pro-active programs to improve numbers of students making successful transitions to senior secondary college or to other post-school options. These include:

 

  • the Aboriginal Student Retention (ASRET) Program
  • the Vocational Education and Guidance for Aboriginal Students (VEGAS) Program (Tasmanian Government submission, pages 7-8).

In the Catholic system

Formula for provision of Aboriginal Education Workers is a 'guideline' dependent upon the number of Indigenous students with a minimum of 10 students. Terms and conditions of employment for Aboriginal Education Workers is as per the Catholic Education Award (1999) for Teacher Aides. They are employed part time from between 5 to 15 hours per week. IESIP funds are utilised and an aides work description is developed at the school level (Tasmanian Catholic Education Commission submission, page 18).

 

 

D8 Victoria

 

D8.1 Overview

There's certainly a clear recognition and a clear desire for us to improve significantly the performance of Koori students within Victorian schools and within the Victorian community (Don Tyrer, Department of Education, Employment and Training Victoria, Melbourne hearing, 12 November 1999).

The submission from the Victorian Department of Education, Employment and Training pages 18-19 and pages 30-31 lists the major Indigenous student support programs in the Victorian government school system.

Koorie Education Workers

  • allocated to schools with a significant Indigenous student population
  • 13 of 16 Koorie Education Development Officer positions are allocated outside of Melbourne
  • provide support to Koorie students at the school and act as a liaison between the school and Koorie community
  • 47 of 56 Koorie Education positions are allocated outside of Melbourne.

Regional Koorie Education Committees

  • constituted by Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Groups and the Department of Education
  • 7 of the 8 Committees are located outside of Melbourne
  • allocated funds to implement regional Koorie educaton programs
  • 83% of funds allocated to Regional Koorie Education Committees (ie $344,356 of $410,000) to non metropolitan locations.

Strategic Results Projects

  • 13 of the 16 schools involved in the two projects (which focus on improved literacy outcomes for Koorie students using information technology) are located outside of Melbourne.

Koorie Open Door Education (KODE) campuses

Three campuses have been established in Glenroy, Morwell and Mildura. The campuses provide Koorie inclusive curriculum and programs for students.

Koorie Education Development Unit (KEDU)

The KEDU comprises five central unit officers and sixteen outposted Koorie Education Development Officers who provide policy, curriculum, professional development and program advice relating to Koorie education.

Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI)

The VAEAI are funded to provide advice relating Koorie education matters.

  Melbourne based Non Melbourne based
Koorie Education Workers 17%

(12 workers)
83%

(60 workers)
Regional Koorie Education Committees 12.5%

(1 committee)
87.5%

(7 committees)
Funds to Regional Koorie Education Committees

(Total of $410,000 allocated)
17% 83%
Schools involved in Strategic Result Project 19%

(3 schools)
81%

(13 schools)

D8.2 Curriculum

You will now find that at level 4, Year 6, students will come to an understanding of an outcome about the history, about the relevance, about the development of Koori culture and its relationship to current society. Then there are indicators. There's an outcome like that and then there's a series of indicators as to how a teacher would know whether or not the student has developed that understanding. So we are focussing strongly in on that area and the area of Australian history which incorporates that at all levels (Don Tyrer, Department of Education, Employment and Training Victoria, Melbourne hearing, 12 November 1999).

D8.3 Criticisms

The inquiry heard criticism of the level of resources available to Koorie education programs and of their implementation in individual schools.

We are constantly battling for resources - especially financial resources - to put things in place. The only funding we can access is if we go for a KODE school: Koorie Open Door Education schools. We'd like to have a public meeting with the Koorie community to see what they want. People have said before they don't want to be separate in a KODE school. Schools help us out a little bit out of their global budget. But most of that is earmarked so we've got to go and beg. We seem to be begging most of our lives and mostly the answer is no. We get the funding for pilot projects but there's no more after that (Bairnsdale Vic Koorie workers meeting, 11 November 1999).

It was commented that the ASSPA [Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness] Committee at Sale College was being "run by staff. They're saying where the money should go. Whereas actually it's the parents' and children's money" (Bairnsdale Vic Koorie workers meeting, 11 November 1999).

In South Australia, before a teacher gets a job, they would have had to do cross-cultural studies. There are several regional centres with high Koorie student populations. The Koorie Educators have to run professional development programs. When we do that we've got to run around begging for resources. It's not compulsory so if they choose not to go to PD days - they're not over-rapt in Aboriginal PD days. You struggle to get half a day. If you say a whole day, they turn up their noses. If you say you want to take them to the Aboriginal Co-operative and put on a dinner for them, a lot of them don't want to go and eat the food because the food might be dirty. We did it one day and they came down and found out different. But they choose to do whatever they like. We're called in as education workers to sort out the problems (in the schools) and we don't always get these people taking on our suggestions. Why do we have to battle all the time to get people there and to create awareness when there's a model in South Australia? (Bairnsdale Vic Koorie workers meeting, 11 November 1999).

 

 

D9 WA

 

D9.1 Overview

In the period 1997-99 Education Department of WA has had an Aboriginal Education Operational Plan to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students with six key focus areas: access and participation; literacy and numeracy; learning environment; Aboriginal community participation; decision-making; employment. The outcomes sought were:

  1. All Aboriginal students have access to, and participate in, all levels of schooling, with a particular focus on early childhood education.
  2. Aboriginal students achieve equitable outcomes in Standard Australian English, literacy and numeracy.
  3. Aboriginal students experience a learning environment that is culturally appropriate, inclusive and supportive.
  4. Aboriginal students and community access schools and find them welcoming and supportive.
  5. Aboriginal parents, caregivers and community effectively participate in educational decision-making.
  6. The number of Aboriginal people employed in education is increased.34

D9.2 IESIP projects

For detail of the constitution and activities of the WA Aboriginal Education and Training Council, chaired by respected Indigenous educator May O'Brien, see the evidence of member Kim Collard, Perth hearing, 24 May 1999. The Council's $325,000 budget comes from IESIP funding.

In WA government schools in 1997 Aboriginal representatives constituted 2% of P&C Committees and 346 schools had ASSPA committees.35 These are funded by IEDA.

D9.3 Indigenous educators

[A]ll of the 16 education districts have a coordinator of Aboriginal education and have Aboriginal liaison officers who work alongside schools but in particular play an advocacy role for parents and the Aboriginal community. Also, each district has an Aboriginal education council which is chaired by a local Aboriginal person and is aimed at providing a decision-making and participatory voice for Aboriginal people within the district structure and also, we hope, in the school structure . not all schools but many schools have ASSPA committees, or at least schools with a significant Aboriginal population, and many schools have Aboriginal and Islander education workers who are not trained teachers but again whose role is to work directly with the students and the community and with the teachers to try to support the education of the Aboriginal students (Jayne Johnston, EDWA, Perth hearing, 24 May 1999). There were 64 Aboriginal staff employed by the Education Department in a professional capacity (administrators and teachers) in 1997 ... 374 ... in a para professional capacity (Aboriginal Liaison Officers & Aboriginal and Islander Education Workers ... [and] 26 ... in general administration ...36

D9.4 Language teaching

We actually have a literacy strategy for which Aboriginal literacy is a key component, and the sorts of initiatives that we are putting in place there include an Aboriginal English policy, which is actually about ensuring that all teachers recognise and value Aboriginal English as a dialect of English that's spoken by Aboriginal students . And alongside that is a professional development program, the ABC of Two-Way Literacy and Learning, which is targeting schools statewide, using Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal personnel, and is really about the delivery of an inclusive curriculum for the benefit of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. Built into that is the acceptance of Aboriginal English as being a legitimate form of communication (Jayne Johnston, EDWA, Perth hearing, 24 May 1999).

I think we have two or three Aboriginal languages which are part of our LOTE provision - languages other than English (Jayne Johnston, EDWA, Perth hearing, 24 May 1999).

Although WA does not have a bilingual education program in the state school system, language immersion is offered in parts of the Kimberley region.

... we are running language immersion programs where the Aboriginal students in particular, I think they're all Aboriginal in fact, although it wasn't culturally chosen, are language immersed and they're put into programs for half a day four days a week which just intensely work on language development and the recognition of standard Australian versus other forms of English (Principal, Kununurra hearing, 17 May 1999).

We have Aboriginal Studies and we teach Walmajari. We use the Walmajarri CD Rom. We tape the children through the computer. We take the children on bush trips. It is hard though to get the people [community members] to come down from the camps to teach language. We have 2 community members who speak Walmajarri and we are dependent on these language specialists (Billiluna WA school meeting, 14 May 1999).

Using curriculum like "Walking, Talking" Texts is invaluable. This is a literacy program developed in the Northern Territory. Programs that have been developed in Perth have not worked in secondary education in the Kimberley. We are following the Pathways program from the NT. This program incudes the Intensive English, then Foundation Studies and then General Studies. We are up to our second year of secondary education here. Our students have been working on this program because it is sequential learning, it leads somewhere and it is outcomes based. The continuity of this program is useful for students who move around. We have 8 students who are enrolled in this program with about 4 or 5 regular participants (Billiluna WA school meeting, 14 May 1999).

D9.5 Cultural awareness

[W]e have an initiative where all staff of government schools - not just teaching staff; non-teaching staff as well - will participate in a cultural awareness program over the next few years. By the end of this year each district has to have a plan and a strategy in place for how that is going to be enacted in their district, and it's a program which has already been developed and trialled and is delivered by Aboriginal people in the local community (Jayne Johnston, EDWA, Perth hearing, 24 May 1999).

Endnotes

33 In the NT there are 55 Homeland Centre Programs serving 1,016 students (NT Department of Education submission, page 4).

34 EDWA 1998, A Profile of Aboriginal Education in Government Schools, page 2.

35 EDWA 1998, A Profile of Aboriginal Education in Government Schools, page 9.

36 EDWA 1998, A Profile of Aboriginal Education in Government Schools, page 8.

Section E:

Barriers to participation and success

Last updated 2 December 2001.