- Liam ___________________________ . In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse http://itsoch.hypermart.net KOLA Action Group http://kola-hq.hypermart.net Journey of Healing http://www.journeyofhealing.com .___________________________ -----Original Message----- From: Webcentral <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tuesday, November 16, 1999 1:04 PM Subject: [atsic] Media Release: ATSIC calls for a more cohesive approach to fix deep flaws in Indigenous education > 12 November 1999 > >ATSIC calls for a more cohesive approach to fix deep flaws in Indigenous >education > >ATSIC Commissioner David Curtis has told a Human Rights and Equal >Opportunity Commission inquiry into rural and remote education that there is >"a deep and systemic problem" in the delivery of Indigenous education in >those areas of Australia. > >Addressing the inquiry in Melbourne, Commissioner Curtis said governments >had failed to deliver a culturally-appropriate education system and had not >consulted Indigenous people, while inadequate resources had also adversely >affected Indigenous education outcomes and employment prospects. > >"In many places, our people see the education system as irrelevant to >Indigenous needs, culture, knowledge and experience. The system does not >involve Indigenous parents and communities, and it's seen as failing >Indigenous students because it does not deal adequately with discrimination >at educational institutions," Mr Curtis said. > >ATSIC's submission to the inquiry highlights the poor attendance and >retention rates among Indigenous students, resulting in low literacy and >numeracy skills. > >Mr Curtis said the lack of adequate resources available to Indigenous people >in rural and remote Australia had also contributed to the continuing >disparity in the educational outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous >Australians. > >"There is an inadequate number of secondary schools and the available >facilities are generally in poor condition. There is a lack of teachers with >appropriate skills and cultural experience, while distance education and >'school of the air' programs have failed to meet the needs of Indigenous >students," he said. > >"Young people either have to go to boarding school far from their community, >which is traumatic for them, or not go to school at all. > >"As ATSIC points out in its submission, poor or inadequate education >contributes directly to poor employment prospects for Indigenous people. >It's a very serious issue when you consider that half of our population is >under 25 and over a third lives in rural and remote Australia. > >"But it's not just about the economic consequences, severe as these are. >ATSIC believes failure to effectively address poor outcomes for Indigenous >people must be seen as a non-compliance with their basic human rights," he >said. > > >The ATSIC submission identifies socio-economic factors such as poverty, poor >housing and levels of health, domestic violence, contact with the law, and >unemployment as other significant barriers to progress in Indigenous >education. > >It argues that while progress in Indigenous education had been made in the >past 20 years, a new approach is needed to deal with the various barriers >obstructing participation and achievement. > >"ATSIC believes that an integrated and cohesive approach to delivery of >services across all these areas is crucial. You can't treat education as an >issue on its own. > >"Unless the problems are addressed collectively, efforts to achieve >sustainable improvements in Indigenous education outcomes will be >ineffective," Mr Curtis said. > >Mr Curtis believes the Commonwealth's commitment to literacy and numeracy >benchmarking in Year 3 and Year 5 provides a strong basis for improving >Indigenous education outcomes. "ATSIC fully supports the Federal Education >Minister's focus on literacy, numeracy and attendance," he said. > >In its submission to the inquiry, ATSIC has proposed three guiding >principles which it believes are crucial for progress in Indigenous >education. > >They are: >* Community self-determination within the education system, to ensure >acceptance and involvement of Indigenous people. > >* Respect for Indigenous knowledge and the recognition of the need for >cultural maintenance should be apparent in education provided to Indigenous >children. > >* Education needs should be seen in relation to, and integrated with, >other requirements of the community such as health, housing and general >community infrastructure. > >Adoption of the guiding principles is one of a number of recommendations >ATSIC has made to the inquiry. > >Other recommendations include the creation of a national forum to give >Indigenous people direct access to ministers for education and other >decision-makers; the establishment of human rights benchmarks to monitor and >assess achievements in Indigenous education; and an audit of primary and >secondary school resources available to Indigenous people in rural and >remote Australia. > > > > >For more information: Giuseppe Stramandinoli (ATSIC Public >Affairs, Victoria) on 03- 9285 7225 or mobile 0419 508 125 > > Lewis Hawke (ATSIC Canberra) on 0418 224 408 > > Commissioner David Curtis (after 3pm) on mobile > 0419 825 765 > >Craig Sproule >A/g Administration Manager >Office of Public Affairs - ATSIC >Ph: 02 6121 4952 >Fax: 02 6282 2854 >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." 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