Education of indigenous children, specifically Aborigines

I wish I had some information to give you. I have opinions of course! hehe :-) If it were my paper I think i would try to ask the question "why" when it comes to so called -education- of aboriginies ... they survive well enough, they have for thousands of years , and western / modern education doesnt apply to thier lifestyle.. at least I dont think so. So why is it necessary? To weed them OUT ? To make them more 'modern'? Or just so people can look at them like they do everyone else and not see any difference? >sigh<
Maybe i wont be of any help.. im too opinionated. HAHA
Good luck with it! I hope you do well.

I will PM dlowan, she may know some sources on this one.

Welcome to A2K, princestani!

Since you surely had had a look at the relevant online sources already, this would be the only help I could give from "up above", I'm sure, dlowan or other Australian members will try their best to help.


[dlowan: I found just now: "Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence" ]

Hi, princestani - here is a start - google page of search on Australian sites under the topic.

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=Aboriginal+AND+education&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU

It is actually not an area that I know a lot about.

In my state, South Australia - in urban areas, quite a lot of effort is going into keeping Aboriginal kids in school - there is a unit which offers Aboriginal students support, and there is quite a lot of education in primary school of kids re Aboriginal culture.

Because - similarly with countries like the USA and Canada - so much disruption to Abroiginal families and culture has occurred, Aboriginal kids tend to face huge problems of family violence, drug and alchohol abuse, poor parental care etc. This being said, there are also lots of Aboriginal kids doing just fine.

I will come back (just on me way to work) - to offer what I can.


Meanwhile - here is the google result page for "Bringing them Home" - which is a report commissioned by the previous federal government into the policy of removal of many Aboriginal children from their parents - seen at the time as a welfare effort (as well as an eugenics one!) - but responsible for much trauma and ongoing problems - this will give some background.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Bringing+them+back+home%22&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU

Here are google page results of a search under United Nations and Australian Aboriginal - it contains various sources - including comments about the United Nations report which found the Australian goverment in violation of human rights re the conditions in some Aboriginal communities.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22United+Nations+Report%22+AND+Australian+Aboriginal+people&btnG=Search&meta=

Well, I got my infos from these links :wink:

Their lifestyle, Shewolfnm?

Hmmm - do you think most Aboriginal people still live in the bush in tribal groups?

Most live in towns and cities. People living in the bush also want their kids to have a quality education.

Most have the same aspirations re education as you and I would for our kids.

Many also wish their kids to have education in traditional Aboriginal culture.

I think most see it as a this/and not an either/or.

For good or ill, Australia was invaded by whites, and taken over. Just as the USA and Canada were, for instance.

Education is the key to opportunity in the world of Australian society - mostly, Aboriginal activists agitate about not enough being done to address the factors that cause Aboriginal educational disadvantage (like social problems, health, poverty etc) NOT about Aboriginal kids being forced into European schools.

I am putting together this paper as we speak. It will be at least 40 pages in lenghth including the footnotes and credits. I sha;ll mail it to you within two days. HAHA! Sorry - it's just that when I was in college we were forced to do our own homework. But good luck!

I believe that this is an information exchange site, NickFun.

I also believe that Princestani has every right to ask for information, and expect a serious and courteous answer.

I'll drag myself away from this Native Title stuff and post some links tomorrow. Is there:

1. a time-frame involved?
2. a specific level for this info?

(Just gotta do the library reference interview stuff).

Ehm, let me answer this one. Princestani is my student, and I have in fact advised her to come here to seek advice. I myself was of little help - education of aboriginal children is not my parquette. She is set on the theory, just needs some trustworthy data from Australia - you won't find that in the library here, I looked myself. I will let her know more stuff was posted, I am not sure if she knows (I remember I couldn't find a thing when I got here first). I saw some good links up there already - thanks!

Oh, time frame and scope. There is another week or more left, scope is 7-10 pages. As I said, she has theoretical literature on human rights and indigeneous peoples and on children's rights and education. What we couldn't find were specific data on Australian aboriginal children - a case study she really wants to do.

Yeah - I have no special knowledge - especially knowledge with that slant - I have known several teachers in outback Aboriginal schools, though - and know what strugglers they had in trying to help the kids want to come to school, and with their nutrition and health status. (Like bathing kids and doing lice removal and such every morning - as well as feeding them). Some Aboriginal communities have horrendous problems with health etc - especially those where alcohol abuse abuse and petrol sniffing (a horrible problem) etc are rife - this leads to problems like chronic ear infections (so kids cannot hear properly) and eye infections and malnutrition. Petrol sniffing leads to permanent brain damage. Some young mums, sniffers themselves, use petrol fumes to calm their babes, or to quiet them then when the money has been spent on alcohol, not food etc. and they are hungry. Some communities have banned alcohol.

In some places, great lateral thinking ideas have worked well. One community was assisted to build a swimming pool. Kids cannot swim unless they have been to school. Voila! Kids started coming to school regularly. Helped their ears too!

Sounds like Stilly may come up trumps!!!!

Righyto...

IEDA Program

Dept of Education & Training

NIYLG

Yotha Yindi Foundation

ABS 2002 - Indigenous schooling

Absenteeism

Indigenous.gov.au - Schooling & Education

Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission did a report on:

Rural and Remote Education in Australia

ATSIC made a submission

Inquiry found here