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Rural and Remote Education - Qld

Rural

and Remote Education - Qld

Meeting with secondary students

at Doomadgee State School, 6 October 1999 - notes

Approximately 20

students, both boys and girls, attended. They were asked to identify

  • what they liked

    about their school

  • what they disliked

    about their school

  • what they would

    like to change about their school.

The following issues

were raised.

School attendance

"A lot of kids don't

come to school. They go down to the river and hang out there."

"Some kids don't

ever come to school, mainly older kids."

"If we don't turn

up at class nobody comes looking for us."

"Parents are not

encouraging their children to come to school."

Teachers

"Some of the teachers

are very good but others are not."

Educational curriculum

"We have art classes

twice a week at school. We do drawing, screen printing, pottery and painting."

"We learn music at

school. They have drums, guitars and other instruments here.

"We learn about health

and how to look after our bodies. There is a lady who comes to the school

to teach us about this."

Technology

We all use computers

at school. We use them for typing, writing stories and playing games."

Sports and social

activities

"We have all kinds

of sport at school - football, softball, basketball, swimming."

"We travel to different

places for school sport competitions. We've been to Normanton, Burketown,

Karumba and other places."

"The school organises

barbeques for us."

School conditions

"We need more seats

and benches around the school yard."

"We need a better

playground."

"There's a lot of

graffiti around the school. They make you clean it up."

Fighting at school

"A lot of kids get

into fights at school. They fight in class and also after school."

"Kids tease each

other and call each other names. There's not a lot of respect."

"There isn't a lot

of bad blood between kids at school. After a fight they usually make up

and forget about it."

"If you are caught

fighting at school you get suspended for four days. When you return to

school you have to apologise to the person you got into the fight with."

Drugs and alcohol

"Lots of kids at

school are into smoking."

"Even younger kids

in primary school smoke."

"Kids drink and smoke

down at the river. They smoke dope as well as cigarettes."

"Its really easy

for kids to get hold of dope in Doomadgee."

Community problems

"A lot of people

get drunk in Doomadgee. Some adults stay up late drinking and having parties.

They get very noisy and its hard to get peace and quiet. Sometimes you

can't get to sleep and then you have trouble staying awake at school the

next day."

"Sometimes there

are break-ins at school. It happens very often, nearly every weekend.

People get drunk and then they break in and steal stuff or destroy property.

Usually its teenagers that do it, kids who are around 13, 14 or 15."

"A lot of teenage

girls in Doomadgee have babies."

Last

updated 2 December 2001.