- 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 1:15 PM Subject: [atsic] Opening Statement to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's Inquiry on Rural and Remote Education by Commissioner David Curtis >Opening Statement to the Human Rights and >Equal Opportunity Commission's Inquiry >on Rural and Remote Education > > > >By > > >Commissioner David Curtis > > >12 November 1999, Melbourne > > >Thank you, Mr Chairman, for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the >Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission on this important topic. > >In keeping with my custom I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional >owners of this region, the Kulin nation. > >I thank them for permission to speak on their land. > >I am the ATSIC Commissioner for the Central Zone of the Northern Territory. >The Central Zone covers three ATSIC regions: Tennant Creek, Alice Springs >and Apatula. > >My portfolio in ATSIC is Education and Training and Local Government issues >and I am a member of the Economic Portfolio Commissioners committee which is >responsible for economic and business development issues for Indigenous >Australians. > >As ATSIC Commissioner for education, I have considerable experience with >issues faced by fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who become, or are >teachers, students, administrators, and officials in government and >non-governmental organisations working in education. > >One of ATSIC's key aims is the economic empowerment of our people. ATSIC has >worked hard and invested heavily to increase the level of appropriate skills >in Indigenous communities as a crucial part of economic empowerment. > >Education underpins economic development. Research shows the strong link >between educational attainment and employment prospects. > > >Research has revealed that: >* Completing year 10 or 11 increases an Indigenous person's chance of >employment by 40 per cent; >* Completing Year 12 increases employment prospects by a further 13 >per cent; and >* Having a post secondary qualification increases employment prospects >again by between 13 and 23 per cent. > >It confirms that relatively low levels of education is one of the major >labour market disadvantages faced by Indigenous people. > >As the ATSIC submission points out, there is a continuing disparity in >education outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. > >This is not to say that the news is all bleak. > >The last twenty years have seen improvements in education and education >outcomes for Indigenous people. This has been the result of a strong >commitment by Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples to advance their >educational outcomes. Indigenous communities recognise that education can >improve their economic and social well-being. > >And improvements have also been achieved because governments have shown >greater commitment towards Indigenous education. > >However, there is still a lot to be done to bring the level of education of >Indigenous Australians to a satisfactory standard. > >As I said, the disparity continues between Indigenous and non-Indigenous >Australians: there are significant differences in participation and >retention rates; in the levels of literacy and numeracy; and the involvement >by parents and communities in the education of their children. > > >ATSIC has presented some statistics about the disparity in the submission >which you have received, and I will not repeat all of them here. > >Some important facts with particular relevance to this inquiry are: >* half of the Indigenous population is now under 25 years of age; >* according to 1996 Census figures, 35 per cent of Indigenous people >lived in rural and remote areas compared with only 14 per cent of >non-Indigenous Australians; and >* a third of the Indigenous people who live in rural and remote areas >speak an Indigenous language as their first language. > >So ours is a young population with a large percentage living in rural and >remote Australia. > >Recent research has shown that the number of our young people of working age >is growing at a much faster rate than the job market. > >The need for effective Indigenous education programs is greater than ever. > >ATSIC believes that there is a deep and systemic problem in Indigenous >education which requires a concerted approach by governments, communities >and education providers. > >ATSIC argues that unless the problems are addressed collectively, and >underpinned by Indigenous self-determination, efforts to achieve sustainable >improvements in education will be ineffective. > >And it believes that a holistic approach is needed, because the barriers >that Indigenous people face in education span across other fundamental areas >of their lives. > >Let's quickly look at some of those barriers, which are dealt with in more >detail in the submission. > >A major factor is significant shortcomings within the education system, >which has failed Indigenous people in a number of ways. > >These include, for example: >* The lack of relevance to Indigenous needs, culture, knowledge and >experience; >* Failure to engage Indigenous children in the learning process, >particularly beyond the compulsory years; >* Failure to effectively address the issues of racism and >discrimination experienced by Indigenous students both in the school >environment and in the job market; >* Failure to effectively involve parents and communities in their >children's education; and >* The inadequate number of teachers with appropriate skills and >cultural knowledge, and the lack of facilities available to students in >rural and remote areas. > > >Apart from the problems created by a flawed education system, Aboriginal and >Torres Strait Islander people also are greatly disadvantaged in other >fundamental areas of their lives. > >Factors such as poverty, substandard housing and overcrowding, poor health, >domestic violence, contact with the law, and unemployment all adversely >affect educational outcomes. > >The barriers and socio-economic disadvantages are faced by Indigenous people >in both rural and urban areas. However, in rural areas they are compounded >as a result of geographic isolation. > >For example, the lack of secondary schools in rural and remote areas means >that significant numbers of children generally either: >* Have to leave their communities to pursue secondary schooling; >* Pursue secondary schooling through distance education; or >* Not pursue such education at all. > >These options are far from satisfactory. > >Leaving home to attend school in a capital city or regional centre can be a >traumatic experience for Indigenous children from both rural and remote >locations. > >And their absence can have a detrimental effect on the communities they >leave behind. > >For a number of reasons, Aboriginal people have not participated to any >meaningful extent in distance education and school of the air programs. > >One reason, and this impacts on the delivery of Indigenous education in >general, is that many parents perceive their lack of resources and literacy >and numeracy skills as barriers to their children's participation in such >programs. > >And nor have advances in technology proved the solution they promised to be. >While education departments have strategies to support the development and >implementation of IT throughout rural and remote areas, basic problems in >terms of cost, capability and accessability have hindered their >effectiveness. > >The greater disadvantages faced by Indigenous people in rural and remote >areas are reflected in education outcomes. > >For example, our submission shows that the percentage of Indigenous youth >who did not complete Year 10 in 1994 was 36.3 per cent for all of Australia. > > >But the non-completion rate can be far greater for rural and remote >locations - for example 63.4% for Bourke, and 84.2% for Apatula. > >I've just outlined some of the barriers that obstruct the progress of our >young people in education and which have consequences for their employment >prospects when they leave school. > >But the continuing disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous >Australians goes deeper than even the severe economic consequences. > >It becomes an issue about Indigenous students' basic human rights not being >met - their right to receive a culturally appropriate education, one in >which cultural identity, language and values are not disregarded, and an >education free from discrimination. > >As I stated earlier, to achieve long term improvements in education outcomes >for Indigenous Australians, the problems need to be addressed in a holistic >manner and collectively which involves the governments, Indigenous >communities and education providers. > >Otherwise, the efforts will continue to fall short of the mark. > >ATSIC proposes in its submission three basic principles which should form >the basis for progress for Indigenous people in education. These principles >are: > >* Community self-determination within the education system is integral >to realising education outcomes for Indigenous children. This is necessary >to ensure acceptance and involvement of Indigenous people in the education >system; > >* Respect for Indigenous knowledge and the recognition of the need for >cultural maintenance should be apparent in education provided to Indigenous >children. This would provide a foundation and make the education system >relevant and appropriate; and > >* Education needs should be seen in relation to, and integrated with, >other requirements of the community such as health, housing and general >community infrastructure. This will ensure the effectiveness of education >strategies by taking into consideration the range of other factors impinging >on educational participation and achievement. > >The acceptance of these principles is important to ensure that Aboriginal >and Torres Strait Islander people "own" the education system and its >processes and for the achievement of better education outcomes for >Indigenous people. > >The development of any policies and strategies aimed at achieving better >educational outcomes for Indigenous children must be seen within this >context. > >I would like to finish by outlining briefly the key recommendations that >ATSIC has made in its submission. These are placed within the context of >accepting the need for a holistic and integrated approach to providing >better education outcomes for Indigenous people. > >Recommendations >1. Adoption of the three key guiding principles for Indigenous >education planning and services. > >2. A national forum, funded by DETYA, to consider options for a >national Indigenous education organisation. > >3. Establishment of human rights benchmarks as a basis for monitoring >and assessing the achievements of Indigenous education. > >4. Increased research effort, in particular on: > >* The relationship between education outcomes and the various sectors >including housing, health, infrastructure. >* Good practice in Indigenous rural and remote education. > >5. An inventory or audit of all primary and secondary school resources >and facilities available to Indigenous people in rural and remote Australia >be undertaken by Federal and State Education departments. > >Thank you. > >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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