The Issue of Indigenous Peoples Education - Research Paper Example

Effects of Education Inequalities among the Indigenous Australians By: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date of submission: Background Information Despite efforts made to close the gap, education inequality remain immense for the Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander People. It is evident that education attainment is a key indicator of wellbeing although there is no clarity between improved health outcome and education attainment (Angus 2013, p. 23). Between 1960s and 1970s, there was a dramatic change in thinking concerning the education of the Australian indigenous people, their health as well as their wellbeing. This was opposed to the assimilation views that were help in the previous 20 years (Bottomley & De Lepervanche 2014, p. 54). In contemporary education of Australia, education has been identified as an essential tool in ensuring that social-economic disadvantages are addressed. However, the drive for quality, excellence, and high standards often struggles to bring a change to the nature as well as outcomes of ‘failure of education’ attributed to numerous social groups as defined by gender, ethnicity, class, race, and location intersections. The aim of this study is to identify how education inequalities have affected the various aspects of Indigenous Australians’ life (Brett 2014, p. 19). Statement of the Problem The issue of Indigenous People’s education especially the inclusion and disadvantage prompt a considerable alarm with the rights as well as the wellbeing of Australia’s Indigenous people. The extensive policy commitment aimed at addressing these matters clearly demonstrates this issue. Throughout the reports and policies, it is widely acknowledged that education equality has not been achieved for the indigenous students. Studies have revealed the existence of disparity between the outcomes of education of non-indigenous and indigenous students. Most of the Indigenous students are disadvantaged when it comes to the attainment of education. According to APS (Australian Psychological Society), our economic as well as social circumstances form the foundation of our health as well as wellbeing. Low education outcomes is often perceived as the main cause of low social-economic status and this eventually leads to poor physical as well as mental health and living circumstances. Education achievement is often associated with good jobs and this leads to an improvement of social-economic status (Fensham 2010, p. 77). Compared to non-indigenous Australians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People are more disadvantaged across various social economic indicators such as education, employment, as well as income (Habibis & Walter 2015, p. 17). A direct link exists between low education attainment and low income. On average, most indigenous Australians have lower education and employment levels, lower household wealth and income levels, higher disability levels, as well as poor general health. Having low education levels means that majority of the Indigenous people are unemployed thus cannot afford quality healthcare (Brett 2014, p. 19). Although there has been an improvements in the in the Indigenous Australian outcomes in areas such as household income and education, majority of these people continue to experience lower education levels and this affect other aspects of life such as health and household income. Indigenous Australians have a higher likelihood of living in disadvantaged areas compared to the non-indigenous ones and at the same time, they are likely to receive welfare services such as income support as well as other payments from the government mainly via social security system (Proctor, Brownlee, & Freebody 2016, p. 13). Education is the greatest determinant of employment status and this is revealed in the gap in the rate of employment and education attainment among the aboriginals and the non-Aboriginal Australians. A gap in the performance in school I evident among the Aboriginals and gap starts early in life and widen with time with the increase in the degree of remoteness. Among the factors leading to an increase in the education gap include the family background, quality of the teacher, and the school resourcing (Durey et al. 2016, p. 102). The inequality between the non-Indigenous and the Indigenous health within Australia is a reflection of the large gap that exists between the non-indigenous and the Indigenous education as well as employment. From 2012 to 2013, the proportion of the indigenous population aged from 20 to 24 years who completed year 12 was 59% as compared to 86-88% for the non-Indigenous Australians (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision 2014, p. 1). In 2013, the rate of unemployment among the Aboriginal population was approximately five times compared to that of the non-Aboriginal. Poor education as well as literacy is associated with poor status of health and it also has an effect on people’s ability to utilize health info. Poor income as a result of poor education reduces health care services’ accessibility (Fensham 2010, p. 85). In the last ten years, the government of Australia has devised various measures to ensure that education equality has been achieved for the indigenous Australians. Although there has been an improvement in the education attainment for the Indigenous Australian, that rate remains to be low compared to that of non-Indigenous Australians (Howard 2012, p. 45). According to recent data, Indigenous Australians with a higher education attainment have better health, higher happiness rate, as well as financial and income security compared to those with low education (Townson 2010, p. 12). Apart from that, studies have revealed that those with a high level of education are also likely to take part in cultural activities compared with those with low educational level (Habibis & Walter 2015, p. 33). Study objectives The objectives of this study are as follows: 1. To determine the effects of education on family income 2. To establish the relationship between poor education outcome and poor health outcomes among the aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People 3. To identify how education inequalities among the Indigenous Australians influences their living standards 4. To determine the strategies that can be used to address the gap in education that exist between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Study Questions 1. How does low education attainment among the Indigenous Australian affect the family income? 2. How does low attainment of education among the Indigenous Australians affect their health outcome? 3. How is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s living standards influenced by low education attainment? 4. What are some of the strategies that can be employed to address the gap in education that exist between the Aboriginals and the non-Aboriginal Australians? Methodology Study Population The study will assume a cross-sectional study design where a sample of 30 respondents comprising of 10 education stakeholders and 20 educated members of the community will be targeted. Simple random sampling will be used to get the correct sample for this study. Data collection This study will utilize both interview and questionnaire as the main tools for collecting the data. The respondents will be scheduled for an interview where they will asked a number of questions. Ethical consideration Consent to conduct the study will be sought from the University and from the ministry of education. Each respondent will be provided with a copy of consent form where he/she will be required to sign before the start of the interview. The responded will be given the assurance that the information provided will be for the purpose of the present study only. Interview schedule Prior to the start of the interview, the respondents will be welcomed and made to feel relaxed. A rapport will be established between the respondents and the interviewer. The main objective of this study would be to determine the effects of education inequalities among the Indigenous Australians. Each respondent will be asked a total of five questions. The questions will be structured in such a way that the respondents will comprehend them. Probing questions will then follow the main questions to ensure the extraction of more information from the respondents. Finally, the interview’s main issues will be summarized. The next step would be discussing the action to be taken and finally giving thanks to the respondents for their patience and time during the interview. Interview Schedule I am……. And I am pursuing a Bachelor of art degree at… University. Part of the course requires me to conduct a research and I have chosen to study about how education inequalities among the Indigenous Australians have affected them. I was driven to carry out this research because despite numerous effort made to close the education gap, the members of indigenous community still face economic and social woes and this is greatly contributed by low education levels. I have chosen you as my respondent because I am aware that you are familiar with the situation and are aware of how the community is affected by these inequalities. I will utilize the information that you will give me to improve the living standards of the community. I will only take ten minutes to interview you. I will begin by asking you question touching on your family background and your place of residence. your name your age Marital status Level of education Is your place of birth South West Australia? Do you think your level of education affect how much you earn? Are you able to cater for your health? As a person, are you happy with yourself? Do you feel that the education gap between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian is still large? Do you feel that the education level has an influence on the level of income? Do you think that your sense of wellbeing increases with your level of education? Conclusion Thank you for your time. Would you like to share with me something else that you feel will be helpful for this study? Bibliographies Angus, L. B. 2013. Education, inequality, and social identity. Washington, D.C., Falmer Press. Bottomley, G., & De Lepervanche, M. M. 2014. Ethnicity, class, and gender in Australia. Sydney, G. Allen & Unwin. Brett, M. 2014. Equity Policy and Knowledge in Australian Higher Education. Durey, Angela, Mcaullay, Dan, Gibson, Barry, & Slack-Smith, Linda. (2016). Aboriginal Health Worker perceptions of oral health: a qualitative study in Perth, Western Australia. BioMed Central Ltd. BioMed Central Ltd. http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/15/1/4. Fensham, P. J. 2010. Rights and inequality in Australian education. [Melbourne], Cheshire. Habibis, D., & Walter, M. 2015. Social inequality in Australia: discourses, realities, and futures. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Howard, M. C. 2012. Australian Aboriginal Politics and the Perpetuation of Inequality*. Oceania. 53, 82-101. Proctor, H., Brownlee, P., & Freebody, P. 2016. Controversies in education: orthodoxy and heresy in policy and practice. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=844502. Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision. 2014. 0vercoming Indigenous disadvantages: key indicators. Productivity Commission: Canberra Townson, M. 2010. Health and Wealth How Social and Economic Factors Affect Our Well Being. Toronto, James Lorimer & Company Limited. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3254033. Read More