Educational Achievement Gap - Essay Example

Running head: INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS EDUCATION Educational Achievement Gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Students Name Course Information Professor Information Date Due Executive summary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders consist of Indigenous people in Australia. Historically, Indigenous people encountered decades of injustices, which contributed to their present low educational attainment as compared with non-Indigenous people. One of the recommendations to improve educational outcome is reconciliation, which places emphasis on addressing historical injustices and disadvantages. This also plays a vital role of placing Indigenous people in their rightful place as having contributed immensely to Australian identity and culture. Secondly, the paper recommends equity and equality in resource distribution with a viewing of actualizing social justice. This will empower Indigenous Australians to participate in education and eventually break away from the cycle of poverty. Cultural context Indigenous Australians mainly comprise of people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander group. They have existed for approximately 50,000 to 120,000 years and mainly involved themselves in hunting and gathering, a culture that matched with their immediate environment (Prentis, 2008). Indigenous Australians have many cultures owing to the fact that there were more than 200 independent language groups before European invasion. Although most of these cultures have faded, artistic tools is presently used to remind Australians and the entire world of the rich Australian culture, which is rooted in the past. To appreciate better the current educational attainment and disparity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians, a good grasp of indigenous cultures and history is essential. Comprised of 260 different language groups and 500 dialects, Indigenous Australians lived in territories with their family groups and distinct languages, kinships, and rituals. They practiced nomadic life, changing their locations in line with seasons. Classification into language or family group was based on common language, birthright, and cultural obligations. Since their way of life was nomadic, dwellings were semi-permanent. Additionally, family, group, and country relationships, which are the basics of identity, were highly regarded. Aboriginal people did not value material possessions but social, religious, and spiritual undertakings. It was their deep conviction that spiritual ancestors, who travelled across the region, developed and shaped wherever they laid foot on. According to Aboriginals, living and non-living came into existence following the belief on Dreaming. In line with the belief on Dreaming, land was not just a natural physical environment but was symbolic and spiritually rich. Torres Strait Islanders on the other hand established themselves in 18 communities living on 17 islands in Australia. Their main preoccupation was agriculture and fishing. Other activities were hunting gardening, and trading food, weapons, and artifacts. Since the different islands had comparative advantage in certain economic activity, trade and exchange flourished. Contact with Europeans saw Torres Strait Islanders experience change as maritime industries emerged. Their way of life also changed because of government administration and Christian mission. Various events through history have influenced culture and identity of Islanders. Maritime strike of 1936, Inaugural Island Councilors Meeting of 1937, 1939-45 world war, 1960 southward migration, and Mabo Case of 1992 among others comprise critical events that shaped Islander culture and identity. Historical circumstances Arrival of First Fleet of Europeans marked the start of colonization in 1788. Europeans were interested in dispossessing Aboriginal Australians in order to utilize the land for economic purposes. The main rationale for dispossessing the locals was that Aboriginals were nomadic and could succeed by moving to other places. They however ignored the fact that Aboriginals had a strong spiritual connection with land in terms of Dreaming. This resonated as an injustice and subsequently, war erupted with Aboriginals utilizing guerrilla tactics. The Europeans deployed military in the region whereas indigenous communities stole livestock. Massacres of warriors, women, and children were carried out by whites (Reynolds, 1990). It was the intention of whites to dispossess Aboriginals of their land with a view of developing the land economically. Other tactics employed by whites in fighting the aboriginals was introduction of diseases such as measles, chicken pox, and other contagious diseases, and proved to be fatal. This period of dispossession meant that Aboriginal people lost their identity as the land, which was linked with Dreaming, was taken over by the whites. It is important to note further that land was intertwined with kinship groups, language, rituals hence it became very difficult to pass on culture to the next generation. In brief, dispossession left Indigenous people without homes and were completely cut off from Dreaming and spirituality. The mid 1880s saw the greatest scale of dispossession as government introduced a policy of protection otherwise called paternalistic policy (Broome, 2010). In a bid to civilize Aboriginal people, previous non-recognition objective was overturned. The intention of protection policy was to give the Aboriginal people a more humane environment by sending them to Christian missions and reserves that had been established by the government. The government purported to remove Aboriginals from unsuitable environment but their actual goal was to separate or segregate the Aboriginals from the entire community until their culture had faded away. Even though Christian missions provided education, health care, and spiritual nourishment, the missions failed to recognize the fact that Aboriginal land and traditions was invaluable to Aboriginal people. Due to protection policy, traditional beliefs of Dreaming diminished. Kinship system, totems, and rituals through which Dreaming was expressed became impossibility due to protection policy. Notwithstanding the fact that missions environment were detrimental because of poor management, Aboriginals accessed healthcare and education. The emergence of mixed families in mid twentieth century saw the execution of assimilation policy. Half-caste simply resulted from children born from a combination of Aboriginal and White descent. They were assimilated in white community with a hope that Aboriginal cultural identity would disappear or become part of main society. Prohibition of traditional practices facilitated disappearance of rituals, kinship, and totemic system thus Dreaming became an illusion. Ban imposed on the use of traditional language made it difficult to disseminate traditional knowledge. Even though assimilation could have presented Aboriginals with an opportunity to grasp White man’s skills, they were not given any chance. This later became a major employment and the cycle of poverty continued. ABS (2006) shows that even though Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are distinct, they shared the same health, educational disadvantages. Discussion Entry of whites into Aboriginal land has had significant impact on Indigenous people and their land. Aboriginal culture suffered extensively from the effect of colonization and subsequent dispossession and urbanization. Aboriginals had strong ties with Dreaming as a result; dispossessing Aboriginals of their land implied disconnecting them from Dreaming, which was interconnected with land. Cultural ties, traditional practices, and beliefs have gone through challenging times for centuries. Contrary to traditional marriage where aboriginal people married partners from their own race, this has changed as aboriginals now favor marring from non-Aboriginal. Many languages, originally spoken by Aboriginal people have become extinct. Currently, a bigger proportion of Aboriginal Australians speak Aboriginal English, non-standard English. Children were disengaged from their immediate families and sent to missions, reserves, and institutions. These were institutions where Aboriginals were trained to work in land inhabited by white man. Force was used to remove children from families and this has affected Aboriginals for many generations. Some adopted children were well cared for but others were mistreated and sexual harassed. This forceful removal of children from their Aboriginal families was destructive in nature since they were unable to maintain their cultural identities. These children were separated from elders who were supposed to teach them rituals and other traditional practices hence unable to connect with Dreaming. Elders have however retained their status of respected members of the society who support young generation, offering advice and educating them on kinship ties. Survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders into the near future depends on ability of elders to strengthen kinship ties. Besides facing fragmentation in culture, children and young indigenous Australians suffer from poverty, which is a direct consequence of colonialism. During contact with European and war that ensued, parents were not in a position to protect their children from witnessing massacres and violence. This is because parents themselves were unable to protect even their own self. It therefore forms a basis for the current high level of child protection rates among indigenous children as compared with non-indigenous. Indigenous people who were denied their culture and family ties following entry of whites feel dishearten and deprived of what they held dear. This is the reasons why cases of child protection and violence are high in indigenous communities. The impact of colonialism is further visible in employment rates. According to research done by Gray, et al (2012) employment rates amongst Indigenous Australians was 59% in 2008 compared with 85% of other Australian men. Female as well registered low employment rates. In the present information age, education is the best pacesetter to gaining employment and achievement in life. It is important to note that education does not only play the role of developing literacy and numeracy skills but also enables a learner to acquire skills and attitudes that are necessary in information age. Bath (2011) notes that gap in educational attainment between Indigenous and non-indigenous students are evident across various levels beginning with pre-schooling to other school years. The gap is more pronounced in secondary school level given that the stage places emphasis on tertiary entrance requirements (Ford, 2012). Moreover, the courses offered are centralized and less flexible. Large content taught and style deployed in delivering content tends to isolate students. This is one of the reasons for low literacy and numeracy level amongst indigenous students as compared with non-indigenous students (Bourke et al, 2000). Compared against non-indigenous students, Indigenous students leave school early and end up being unemployed. Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision (2011) discussed several factors that show existence of gap. Low school attendance, poor quality of educators, low attainment in year nine and ten, and low levels of transition from school to work demonstrates disparity in educational attainment between Indigenous and Non-indigenous students (Guenther, 2013). The steering Committee compared proportions of 20-64 year olds with non-school qualifications at certificate III and higher appendix 1. Additionally, the NAPLAN data of 2011 shows a reduction in attainment level among Indigenous Australians in year 3 persuasive writing. Appendix 2 affirms this disparity in year 3 persuasive writing scores in Northern Australian Territory location (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2011, p.18). This data confirms an increase in point score differences between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous from provincial level to very remote region. ABS (2011) asserts that educational attainment, for Year 12 and above Indigenous Australians, has increased from 16% in 1994 to 37% in 2008. This however is low compared with non-indigenous Australians. Recommendations To improve educational attainment and reduce the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students across all levels of schooling, equity and equality in resource distribution should be enhanced. This paper highlighted the fact that indigenous Australians were dispossessed of their land, a resource that they valued. Due to this event, indigenous people lost contact with Dreaming and various other cultural activities. This marked the beginning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders tribulations and the feeling of being shortchanged. It is through equal resource distribution that Indigenous people will regain their confidence and self-determination consequently improving participation in education across various levels. Entry of Europeans into North America destroyed culture and life of Indigenous people. This led to war and massacres where several people were killed. Children who were forcibly separated from the families encountered hardships in mission stations and government reserves. Reconciliation is therefore indispensible if educational outcomes were to be improved. Through reconciliation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders will respect after several years of suffering in their own land. Separating indigenous people from their own culture cannot help improve educational attainment but there should be an aspect of bringing together culture and education to develop a modern system. Culturally, Indigenous people registered success in passing on Dreaming through various means. In the same manner, indigenous people should be empowered to learn their culture while also gaining skills necessary in the present global world. References ABS. (2011). Australian Social Trends, March 2011. Cat no. 4102.0. Canberra: ABS. ABS. (2006). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey, 2004–05, Cat. No.4715.0. Canberra: ABS. Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). NAPLAN Achievement in Reading, Persuasive Writing, Language Conventions and Numeracy: National Report for 2011. Sydney: ACARA. Bath, H. (2011). Disparity and disadvantage – the context for child protection in the Northern Territory. Paper presented at the NT Council of Social Services conference, Darwin. http://www.ntcoss.org.au/sites/www.ntcoss.org.au/files/Disparity%20and%20disa dvantage%20NTCOSS%20H%20Bath%20April%202011.pdf. Bourke, C., Rigby, K., & Burden, J. (2000). Better Practice in School Attendance: Improving the School Attendance of Indigenous Students. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Education, Training, and Youth Affairs. Broome, R. (2010). Aboriginal Australians: A History Since 1788. 4th ed. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. Ford, M. (2012). Achievement gaps in Australia: what NAPLAN reveals about education inequality in Australia. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1-23. doi: 10.1080/13613324.2011.645570. Gray, M., Hunter, B., & Lohoar, S. (2011). Increasing Indigenous employment rates. Issues Paper no. 3. Produced for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Guenther, J., Osborne, S., & Bat, M. (2013). Red dirt thinking on educational disadvantage. Paper presented at the ISFIRE conference, University of Western Australia, Perth, February 2013. Retrieved April 2013 from http://www.catconatus.com.au/docs/130214_Red_dirt_thinking_educational_disa dvantage.pdf Prentis, M. (2008). Concise Companion to Aboriginal History. Dural Delivery Centre, N.S.W: Rosenberg Publishing Pty. Reynolds, H. (1990). Frontier: Aborigines, settlers and land. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. (2011). Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2011, COAG targets and headline indicators: Attachment tables. Melbourne: Productivity Commission. Appendices Appendix1: Percentage of 20-64 year olds with non-school qualifications at Certificates III and above (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, 2011) % of 20-64 year olds with non-school qualification at Certificate III and above Remote 2002 2008 Indigenous 14.4% 18.4% Non-Indigenous 38.6% 45.5% Appendix 2: Year 3 persuasive writing scores (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2011) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Non-Indigenous Metro - - Provincial 329.9 393.7 Remote 289.7 395.4 Very Remote 215.2 383.3 Read More