Rural and Remote Education - Qld

Rural

and Remote Education - Qld

Meeting with teachers at Boulia

State School, 4 October 1999

The meeting was attended

by approximately 10 teachers, teachers' aides and other school staff.

From HREOC: Chris Sidoti, Human Rights Commissioner; Lady Pearl Logan,

Queensland Co-Commissioner; and two Commission staff.

There are approximately

60 students at Boulia State School, half of them Indigenous. The school

goes from Pre-school to Year 7.

School resources

(including technology)

"Funding is not a

big problem for this school. Generally speaking, we are pretty well-resourced.

The new system where schools have more freedom to decide how to spend

their money is a positive one."

"The school is well-equipped

with computers. There are 5 or 6 computers in each of the 3 classrooms."

Attendance

"School absenteeism

is not a major problem in Boulia."

Retention rates

"Most of the students

move to larger towns after completing Year 7, to further their education.

About 10% of those students would drop out and return to Boulia. Of the

remainder, very few would go on to complete Year 12. Most of them would

come back to Boulia. Some get council traineeships. Others get jobs out

on the stations. A few might pick up apprenticeships."

School hours and

term dates

"It would be really

helpful if the school could have more flexible term dates. This would

help in dealing with variables like the wet season. It would enable us

to consider strategies like having longer school hours for 5 or 6 months

of the year and then close down during the wet season."

"The school routine

is also disrupted a lot by external events such as sports carnivals. If

a carnival is being held in Mt Isa during the weekend the kids need to

allow a day to travel there. This means they miss out on school on Friday.

Having more flexible school hours would help us to deal with this. The

children could make up the hours by having longer days on Thursday and

Friday."

"Boarding schools

have different term dates from our school. Generally their holidays start

a week earlier. This causes problems because the parents will drive out

to pick up their child from boarding school and will take their other

children with them. It is understandable that they don't want to leave

their children at home, but it means that they miss a few days of school.

Having more flexibility with our school terms dates could help to avoid

this kind of disruption."

School trips

"Remote kids sometimes

feel reluctant to leave the security of their family and community. This

applies particularly to Indigenous kids. There is a kind of 'scare factor'

about large towns. This lack of confidence can sometimes hinder kids in

their ability to adapt when they leave home to further their education."

"Taking kids on trips

to other places can help break down their fears. It can broaden their

horizons and give them a greater sense of confidence about the world around

them. This is why the school tries to take a group of students away every

year. It is an important socialising experience for them. Just getting

them used to dealing with crowds is tremendously beneficial."

"Last year we raised

$15,000 in funds to take the kids away. Some assistance was provided by

the PCAP and ASSPA programs. The parents also pay a $250 levy for their

child to go on the trip. However, if the family are struggling and cannot

pay the levy we don't stop the student from coming."

"We take the students

to places like the Gold Coast or the snowfields. This year we took them

whale watching on Fraser Island. We also went to the 'Seaworld' and 'Dreamworld'

theme parks. It was an unforgettable experience for them."

"On another occasion

we did a trip to Parliament House. This was a fantastic learning experience

for the kids."

"These trips also

help the students develop their aspirations. They see people doing all

sorts of different jobs. It gets them thinking about the sort of things

they might do with their life."

"Many kids in remote

places like Boulia have never even seen the ocean."

Teacher support

"People who come

here as teachers get a locality allowance plus various other incentives.

On the face of it, it looks like quite a good package. However, you lose

half of it in tax. Then you spend most of the remainder on trips back

home. In the end you realise it's not that much of an incentive at all."

"Teachers had more

incentive to come to places like Boulia under the old system where government

funding was provided for regular return home flights."

"Teachers in remote

communities need to be properly supported. It's not just about money and

financial incentives."

"One of the hardest

things about working in a remote community is being away from your family

and friends."

"Teachers who come

to remote communities without having had any small-town experience face

a very steep learning curve."

"Ideally, teachers

considering working in a remote community should be given the opportunity

to go and live there for a few weeks first. They could meet the teachers

and get a feel for the community. It would be really helpful to them in

deciding if that sort of life was really for them. It could help both

them and the school potentially avoid a lot of problems further down the

track."

Health issues

"Some of the kids

at the school have major health problems."

"Children in this

community experience a range of health problems such as conjunctivitis,

insect bites and various infections. The incidence of these problems is

much higher for Indigenous than non-Indigenous children."

"Many kids come to

school in the morning without having had a proper feed."

"The school provides

some limited assistance with food for the children. We give them a free

bag of chips or something like that for morning tea. It's not terribly

healthy but at least it's food in their stomach."

"Hygiene is a serious

issue for children here. We get some children wearing the same clothes

for seven days."

"The school tries

to teach the students about personal hygiene issues. This can be difficult

because of the sensitivities involved, especially in a small community.

It can appear as though we are accusing families of neglect."

"The school ran a

tooth brushing program for a while."

"One boy at the school

suffered incontinence very badly. The problem started in Pre-school and

now he is in Year 6. We have never been able to get proper support for

him. We have tried unsuccessfully to get the department to send a person

to help him deal with this problem. They don't see him as a priority.

As a result of this he has missed a lot if time at school. It is sometimes

hard for him to be in the same class as others, especially on a hot day."

Family problems

"Some of the children

here have family problems, like alcohol problems with Dad drinking away

all their money. This affects their performance at school."

Indigenous issues

"The school has two

Indigenous people on staff. We should have more given that half of the

students are Indigenous."

Community conflicts

"Occasionally the

school comes under pressure from members of the community. You might get

a situation where a parent objects to one of the teachers. In a small

community like Boulia, dealing with these types of conflicts can be difficult.

Everyone knows each other and you can't avoid seeing parents in the street."

Last

updated 2 December 2001.