Aboriginal Education in Australia - Essay Example

Aboriginal Education in Australia Name Institution Date Aboriginal Education in Australia Introduction Aboriginal education has not received the deserved recognition in Australia. School communities, teachers, and policy makers can learn a lot from the Aboriginal people educational experience. Negligence extended towards Aboriginal children is to blame for the lack of education or inadequate education for the Aboriginal population. This trend has led to widespread disadvantage towards the Aboriginal people. Intergenerational disadvantage on the part of education has created suspicion towards schools in Aboriginal communities and resentment by youth on the possible of education. Indigenous people have been left out in many key decision concerning their schooling needs and cultural incorporation in the Aboriginal education. The aboriginal people have to be assisted in incorporating their cultural values in their current educational systems. According to Dandell, Ohman & Ostman (2005), it is prevalently accepted that successful completing of secondary school is a pre-requisite to accessing the full knowledge of further education, employment, and training opportunities. Many scholars have demonstrated the significance of education as a major thing towards reducing social disadvantages which are encountered by indigenous communities. Education has been has been established to be the greatest single factor which is attributed to improvement of employment outcomes for indigenous Australians and bringing down arrest rates. The level at which indigenous students are socially supported and incorporated within their classroom has impact of reducing stress and poverty and improvement of health in the longer prospective. The problematic nature of western education for the indigenous people has been highlighted. For a long time education has been applied as an assimilation tool, and this has been the experience of the indigenous towards western education. Indigenous Australians educational outcomes have improved over the year. This has been indicated in participation, enrolment, and indigenous students’ achievement in early childhood education and sectors in schools. New Apprenticeships of indigenous education has been on the increase and enrolment of indigenous people in vocational education and training as well as tertiary sectors has escalated. However, Indigenous Australians are yet to see the equitable outcomes anticipated. Indigenous students persistently keep on dropping out of school prior to year 10 and very few complete Year 12 and Year 11. Those you go up to Year 12 hardly attain the pre-requisite scores for university entry (Fien, 2002). Majority of indigenous students, in spite of their year of completion, leave school when they are poorly prepared as compared to non-indigenous communities. These eventualities limit the options available after post-school and life choices of students of indigenous origin which perpetuate intergenerational cycles of economic and social disadvantage. A majority of the indigenous population is young and most of the people fall under the age of fifteen years. Forty percent of the indigenous population is under the age of fifteen whereas non-indigenous population is below 20 percent. The indigenous population has a double growth rate yearly as compared to non-indigenous population. In spite of considerable input over the last decade, way forward in attaining educational equality has been reported to be much slower than what was anticipated. Lingering mindsets and perceptions in some quarters of Australian community has resulted into the gap in the educational outcomes between non-indigenous and indigenous Australians. Education equality among the two groups has been elusive to achieve. Educational progress among the Australia indigenous communities is important for national cohesive and development of economic state of the nation. The indigenous education has not been taken seriously in key government policies that should have facilitated its development (McConaghy, 2000). It has been affirmed that proactive, strong, and informed leadership at the school level is important in the establishment and maintenance of a learning culture that is inclusive of indigenous students and provides for their successful participation and engagement. The trend has to change so that Aboriginals education is given the deserved attention like the non-indigenous people curriculum. Indigenous knowledge is very important in today’s world environmental management. Land and environmental management strategies traditionally applied by indigenous people possess relevance that is continuous. Indigenous communities normally leave in a certain bioregion for a long time and have learnt over time how to live without hurting the environment. They make sure that the natural environment is sustainably utilized. In the current world, this realization of their ability puts indigenous cultures in unique position of comprehending the needs, interrelationships, resources and dangers emanating from their bioregion. This is not replicated by indigenous cultures which have been affected by colonization or displacement. Promoting indigenous methods of education and the integration of traditional knowledge also enables those in post-colonial and Western societies to re-evaluate the inherent hierarchy of knowledge systems (Russel, 2001). Systems of indigenous knowledge were historically denigrated by Western educators but there is a current gravitation towards recognition of the value of these traditions. The integration of indigenous education calls for acknowledging of the existence of multiple forms of knowledge as opposed to a standard benchmark system. The promotion of indigenous educational methods and the inclusion of traditional knowledge provide chance of those in post-colonial and Western societies to re-evaluate the inherent knowledge systems hierarchy. Indigenous education can be used aptly for enriching the educational experience and shaping the destiny of the society. Indigenous education can be used to promote national heritage and enriching the national culture for development of economic sectors such as tourist amongst other sectors. Indigenous education development is essential for the development of Australia and achievement of national goals and objectives. Remote and rural areas of Australia experience a lot of difficulties as compared to suburbs of Canberra other urban environments. Indigenous communities have acute and chronic housing needs, low health care standards, poor communication and other important infrastructure. Facilities in schools are mostly basic (Irving, 2003). The teachers’ turnover in remote Aboriginal communities is determined in months as opposed to years. There are problems associated with child abuse and neglect, alcohol and drug abuse, underemployment and unemployment. There is serious community aimlessness and malaise. Education is fundamental towards the improvement of the lives and living standard of the Aboriginal communities. Health and life expectancy of the indigenous communities can be improved through their own participation in these aspects. Their wellbeing ids impact on their perception of education and other development initiatives. The country cannot move forward when the Aboriginal communities are lagging behind in terms of provision of basic education. Promotion of parenting skills that are positive through education can lead to change of lives of the indigenous communities. The approach to schooling has to consider the problems that are being experienced by indigenous communities. Trust and encouragement has to be imparted in the parents of the indigenous children who will make them understand the importance of indigenous education. The improvement and appreciation of Aboriginal education will give a boost to the development of the national heritage through cultural recognition. Indigenous communities have rich cultures that present the original nature of human life (Sterling, 2002). The recognition of the rights of the Indigenous people in Australia involves provision of infrastructure for provision of services such education, health among others. The Australian government needs the indigenous communities’ participation if it needs to realize a breakthrough in its economic planning. Discrimination against the indigenous communities will in the long term affect government planning. The indigenous communities can no longer be ignored. Aboriginal education in Australia has not been accorded the attention it needs if there was to be a breakthrough. Education can tremendously improve the health status of indigenous education. For a long time education systems in Australia have been carrying out compensatory programs for Torres Islanders and Aboriginal students in order to provide additional support. These programs have resulted into considerable progress in the achievements of Indigenous educational achievements; however, they possess two unintended setbacks. Firstly, they marginalize the targeted group and the personnel in charge of implementing the programs. Secondly, they turn out to be focus of perception concerning unfair access to additional resources. These set-backs have resulted into the development of a mystique concerning the pedagogy and the goals and policy on which indigenous programs are founded, that puts them outside the mainstream domain and enhances the marginalization and separateness (Scott & Gough, 2003). The outcome of these events is that whereas there is often considerable progress and activity and successful outcomes in the compensatory program, there is presence of little movement in developing on these program outcomes in the mainstream domain and the main areas that requires commitment in the education system. For instance, initiative for development of models that are more effective that build on, sustain and replicate in the attainment of appropriate and equitable educational outcomes for indigenous students most of the time fail to be duly implemented systematically and at the local level. The marginalization is made worse by problems in the identification at the level of any gap that exist between non-indigenous and indigenous outcomes that receive funds from compensatory programs can target to accelerate the doing way with this gap. Initiatives targeting the development of a curriculum that is culturally inclusive often fall short of addressing levels of violence and racial harassment, student learning needs’ diversity, the various perspective help by the indigenous people concerning purpose and nature of education and choices made by Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal students make in the mainstream education. Various communities in the indigenous people have a strong, but usually not unreserved, recognition of the value and importance of formal training and education (Scott & Gough, 2003). These issues cause problems to the extent that most indigenous students experience in negotiating successfully the pathways from school and later to work. Consequently there are still many problems bombarding the education sector as far as Aboriginal education is concerned. The issue of marginalization has not been adequately dealt with in the provision of Aboriginal education. The educators and policy makers have not taken serious steps of dealing with marginalization. The Aboriginal education still suffers from what it experienced in the pre-colonial edges. The children are very important in the every community. The Aboriginal families have children who need care to ensure that they grow in friendly environment. Fear and mistrust is planted early in the children. High school drop out rates has to be adequately dealt with. Concern for the children and provision of basic care is vital towards making the children love schooling and take seriously their school work. The confidence of the Aboriginal communities in education systems has to be won over time. It is important for the government to deal with the problems facing the Aboriginal communities in Australia. The school community has to be proactive on the behalf of students and systematically link wit the previous school, the home, the wider community and other service providers. The school community recognizes the close link between the low levels of outcomes of indigenous education and health, poverty, housing, and accessibility to government infrastructure and services by coming up with cross-portfolio mechanisms to address the issues (Sterling, 2002). A close correlation between the community and the school will provide the much needed support for care-gives and indigenous parents. This will progress the education standards and ensure active participation in decision making process as well as planning for new programs introduction. Understanding the history of education of Aboriginals is important towards advancing the agenda of the Aboriginal with the aim of improving their standards of life. Correct development of policies cannot be done if there is no enough commitment and consultation. The indigenous people have to be adequately incorporated in everything that is done about indigenous education. Development in all fronts is important in the achievement of better educational outcomes in circumstances that will be hard fought. Challenges that face the educational fraternity of the Aboriginals can only be dealt when the policy makers and educators are conversant with the history and the value of the Aboriginal education. Ignoring the history of Aboriginal education leads to the marginalization and misplacement of priorities for the Aboriginal people. It is good to understand what one is dealing with inside out. Aboriginals’ education in Australia has resulted in marginalization because of lack of understanding of the needs of the Aboriginal communities. Policy makes and other stakeholders in education have to sit down and discuss the problems or challenges facing Aboriginal education. Investors in education should spent money on positive things that will encourage the participation of Aboriginal communities. The policy makers have to do wide consultations with all people involved in development of Aboriginal education so that they do not come up with skewed ideas (Irving, 2003). The policy makers should not ignore the opinions of the Aboriginal people. Racism and other impediments should be allowed to scatter the efforts of developing the educational curriculum of the indigenous people. Inequality in education between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal can be successfully dealt with if there is a consensus on the history and value of the Aboriginals education to the indigenous communities and the country as a whole. The indigenous communities have to be involved in the advancement of the agenda of the aboriginal education. The larger society has to share with the Aboriginal people their frustrations without discriminating against them. Conclusion The importance of education in the redressing the problems experienced by many Indigenous people was reviewed in the major recommendations of the Royal Commission in the Aboriginal Deaths held in custody. The government has to go over the various recommendations which were outlined by various commissions formed to look into Aboriginal education issues. Wider community participation is important for the development of Aboriginal education. Indigenous communities have to be at the forefront in the development of education. The attention given to Aboriginal education is not enough. All policy workers have to collaborate in making the development of the Aboriginal education a success. References Scott, W. & Gough, S. (2003). Sustainable Development and Learning, Framing the Issues, Routledge Falmer, London. Sterling, S. (2002) Sustainable Education: Re-visioning Learning and Change, Green Books, Bristol. Fien, J. (2002). Education and Sustainability: Reorienting Australian Schools for a Sustainable Future, Tela Papers, No. 8. Australian Conservation Foundation, Melbourne. Dandell, K., Ohman, J & Ostman, L. (2005). Education for Sustainable Development: Nature, School and Democracy, Studentlitteratu, Lund. McConaghy, C. (2000). Rethinking Indigenous Education: Culturalism, colonialism and the politics of knowing. Qld: Post Pressed. Russel, L. (2001). Savage Imaginings: Historical and contemporary construction of Australia. Irving, F. (2003). Listening to the ground, Aboriginal studies Association Journal of Aboriginal Studies, 1, 2002: pp.2-6. Read More