Offering educational opportunities

Teachers predominantly don’t teach quality Indigenous studies because they haven’t been provided with adequate course work during their studies on the topic at university.

But more than likely most teachers in the classroom today are too busy mastering other difficult school subjects such as maths or science and basically don’t view their Indigenous studies as a priority subject to warrant more than a scant overview.

It never ceases to amaze me how non-Indigenous students can provide some background information on American Indians or African tribesmen but fail dismally on questions pertaining to their local Indigenous tribe or for that matter any tribe in Australia.

So after another four years of university studies I fail to see how many teachers would be able to walk into a remote Indigenous classroom with any degree of confidence if they haven’t undertaken a core unit on the topic during their tertiary studies.

Even then a single course with no follow up practical work would be deemed light-on when venturing into the unfamiliar environment where very few children pass the national bench mark for literacy or numeracy. On top of that is the traumatising experience of living in a remote community that wouldn’t look out of place in a third world country.

Having said that I do believe Noel’s plan will work if he has the commitment from the Education Ministers in Queensland and the Northern Territory and a preparedness by their respective senior education bureaucrats to proactively support his proposal at all levels of its operation, for example, practice teaching supervision, suitable accommodation, adequate resources and fully functional air-conditioned classroom facilities.

Most importantly the plan must also include the provision for commensurate remuneration (pay) for Indigenous teacher assistants who will undoubtedly be called upon to do the lion’s share of tuition and daily supervision of family clan groupings within the classroom and liaison with parents out of school hours whose language at home is not English.

I would like to think that Australia has matured as a nation eight years into the new millennium where a child who started their education in a remote Indigenous community can fit comfortably into secondary school and continue on to tertiary level and sit at ease in a medical, law or engineering class of their choosing.

I believe Noel’s $67 million plan is a significant Indigenous education policy shift that ought to be supported by the State and Federal Government as well as sponsored in full by the mining sector who benefit most from mineral wealth generated from Indigenous lands.

Although many Indigenous commentators, including myself, have previously raised the issue of generously remunerating teachers in remote communities for outstanding school results - this is the first time that the concept has a total dollar figure fixed to it.

Whether you love of loath Noel he has the capacity to get his message onto the front pages of newspapers and consequently is able to illicit instant responses from the government. However I qualify my comments by adding that this plan will be doomed to failure if it is not supported by all levels of government in addressing the atrociously high demand that exists in these communities for adequate accommodation for local inhabitants.

I believe that even the brightest of students in these communities will struggle to attain a satisfactory school report card if they have to compete with members of three or more families permanently occupying the same dwelling.