This is a threat of significant magnitude. Thinking people everywhere know that the prime function of state based educative processes is to replicate the dominant culture. Hence this has to be seen as an attempt at both the genocide of numbers of first Nation cultures by the destruction of their communicative base, and also a return to assimilation. Please, please protest it as loud and long as possible, our grandchildren need to live in Australia, not a displaced or misplaced europe. ========================================== The Northern Territory Education Department is proposing to phase out bilingual education in Northern Territory schools, contrary to the wishes of many Aboriginal communities which have bilingual programmes. (For the NT Department of Education Statement, and copies of the Minister's press release, see http://www.ntde.nt.gov.au/announce) If you are concerned about this, you can send letters/faxes to the two Ministers concerned: Peter Adamson Minister for Education and Training phone (08)89996266 fax (08)89817440 Tim Baldwin Minister for Aboriginal Development phone (08)89997514 fax (08)89817511 Parliament House State Square Darwin NT 0800 ----------- As well, you could print out the petition below prepared by the Australian Education Union, and circulate it: "To all Aboriginal communities and friends Please find a copy of a petition requesting that the decision to withdraw the Bilingual programs from NT schools be revoked. Please send the completed petitions in an envelope marked: Bilingual Petitions to The Australian Education Union GPO Box 4494 Darwin NT 0801 By Friday December 11 If the date is not possible please send them in whenever you can - every signature counts." A copy of the petition will be left in the mail room for you to sign. Many thanks, Lloyd PETITION TO THE HONORABLE THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY. WE THE UNDERSIGNED RESPECTFULLY SHOWETH THAT THE PROGRESSIVE WITHDRAWAL OF THE BILINGUAL PROGRAMS IN NORTHERN TERRITORY SCHOOLS WILL MEAN THAT: ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ARE BEING TOLD THAT THEIR WRITTEN AND SPOKEN LANGUAGES HAVE NO OFFICIAL PLACE IN NT SCHOOLS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. ACCESS TO ENGLISH LITERACY WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT IF LITERACY IS NOT ACHIEVED FIRST IN THE LANGUAGE THE CHILDREN SPEAK (NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THIS) THE NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED WORK DONE BY THE NT BILINGUAL PROGRAMS IN COLLECTING AND MAINTAINING LANGUAGE RESOURCES WILL BE DISCONTINUED (THIS IS A PART OF THE HERITAGE OF ALL AUSTRALIANS) ABORIGINAL TEACHERS WILL HAVE GREATLY REDUCED CAREER PATHS. YOUR PETITIONERS URGENTLY REQUEST THAT THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY MAINTAIN AND CONTINUE SUPPORT FOR BILINGUAL PROGRAMS IN NT SCHOOLS, GIVEN THE HIGH LEVEL OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THESE PROGRAMS, AND YOUR PETITIONERS AS IN DUTY BOUND WILL EVER PRAY. NAME ADDRESS SIGNATURE _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Associate Professor Lloyd Dawe Associate Dean and Head, Division of Undergraduate Studies School of Teaching and Curriculum Studies Faculty of Education, A35 University of Sydney NSW 2006 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telephone (02) 9351 3113 Fax (02) 9351 4765 Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List As vilified, slandered and attacked by One Nation mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
LL:AA:Bilingual education threat]
Deaths In Custody Watch Commitee (WA) Inc. Thu, 10 Dec 1998 22:59:16 -0500
