GARMA FESTIVAL PRESENTATION

OPENING
THE DOOR: INVOLVING ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER PEOPLES IN SCHOOL
EDUCATION



GARMA
FESTIVAL PRESENTATION



TOM
CALMA: ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER SOCIAL JUSTICE
COMMISSIONER



I
would like to acknowledge the Yolngu people on whose land we are today. I would
like to thank you and Charles Darwin University for inviting me to speak at this
Garma festival where we celebrate the Yolngu culture and world view.



It is
relevant to be talking about culture in relation to education as culture and
literacy go hand in hand; one augments the other. A classroom that is rich with
information and ideas that spring from culture that is known to the child
provide the perfect springboard for enriched learning. In other words, a
curriculum filled with the child’s culture provides a ‘recognition
space’ for our young people so that learning can occur in an environment
that acknowledges where the child comes from, and what he or she already knows.
These are important building blocks for every child’s future.



There have
been some interesting developments and discussions about Indigenous education in
recent months. Some of these developments have not been entirely welcome. I am
talking about the Menzies Institute and the Centre for Independent Studies
reports which argue against Indigenous language and culture in school education
despite vast bodies of research and evidence that speak to the value of
reinforcing the home culture in the school culture.



I am not
interesting in giving too much airplay to the doomsayers and the knockers of
indigenous culture. I think we have gone beyond the point of having to stand up
to those people who see Indigenous culture as an impediment to learning. That
argument is over. The worth of Indigenous culture in school education has been
proven over and over.



Two weeks
ago I was in New Zealand where they celebrated Maori language week and it
involved all Kiwis, not just Maori. The celebration of Indigenous languages
could and should occur in Australia. It is important to celebrate, acknowledge
and promote the richness of our languages. It is through raising the profile of
our languages that we take steps to ensure that our languages and our cultures
are valued, resourced and strengthened over time.



I would
also remind those who seek to withdraw indigenous culture and language from
schools that international human rights standards protect our right to our
culture and language. Article 27 of the International Convention on Civil and
Political Rights provides
that:
minorities shall not be denied the right... to enjoy their own culture... or to
use their own
language.
...



In
terms of school education, Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child sets the human rights standard, specifying that education be directed to:
...the
development of respect for the child's parents, his or her own cultural
identity, language and
values...




I know
that bilingual schools continue to operate here in the Northern Territory. The
local Yirrkala School is a great example of a learning environment where
children develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding of Yolngu culture
and literacies as a foundation for developing English literacy. Evidence from
Territory-wide literacy tests demonstrate that while there is still room to
improve outcomes, bilingual approaches like the one at Yirrkala are achieving
results in line with the intention of the approach. We must also remember, that
schools like Yirrkala are strengthening Yolngu literacies, for which there are
no state wide or territory wide tests.



There is
emerging evidence that in some learning contexts, Indigenous language and
culture
strengthen
the learning outcomes
in other areas of the curriculum. This has been the case in the Pitjantjatjara,
Yankunyitjatjara lands where a policy decision in the 1990s to ban Indigenous
languages from schools has been overturned because English literacy results
declined.



I
urge all people in the business of education to capitalise on every opportunity
to develop the Indigenous teacher workforce. It is through this workforce that
Indigenous culture and literacies are preserved. We must keep the passion and
energy for education alive across Indigenous Australia.



In remote
Australia, Indigenous teachers and teacher aides are the people who maintain the
corporate knowledge of the school and have the long term connection with
students.

• They
  are the cornerstone of many remote and regional schools, the link to the past
  and to the future.
• They
  are the people who welcome the new teachers year after year and impart their
  local wisdom and pedagogical approaches.
• They
  are the people who have a positive impact on indigenous student attendance and
  retention.
• They
  are the people who make the school a welcoming environment for indigenous
  students and their families.
• They
  also speak to the relevance of education, demonstrating a career path for our
  young people.

Recently
the federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs spoke about the necessity to improve
Indigenous school attendance. Maintaining a high functioning, well-resourced
Indigenous teacher workforce is an essential element to connect Indigenous
students to the school. We must invest in the skills of this workforce.



To this
end, all Indigenous teachers and the teacher aides should have ongoing access to
first class professional learning and development opportunities. Their worth to
the school is immeasurable and every effort should be made to value that worth.
I’d like to see an increase in Indigenous personnel across all positions
in schools, especially in principal and leadership positions.



Education
departments will need to invest heavily in Indigenous recruitment and retention
programs to make this a reality. The Indigenous teacher labour market needs to
be increasing not decreasing every year. If programs to support recruitment and
retention need additional resources or reinvigoration, then this should be an
urgent priority. As we know, the real service delivery of education happens in
the schools. This is where the majority of resources, funding and our best and
brightest people should be concentrated. An investment today will reap rewards
tomorrow.



Let’s
see strategies and resources commensurate with the challenge - and this
challenge is long-term. We need to be focussed on supporting existing Indigenous
staff as well as mentoring new recruits to the workforce. Every school community
needs a quantum of Indigenous teachers so that liaison between the Indigenous
home and school environments is managed by a large,
enabled Indigenous
workforce.



Having
been an educator myself, I know the heavy responsibility that is placed on
schools and learning environments to support and solve nearly every social
problem of our time. While I know schools cannot possibly deliver all of the
solutions to complex problems, they are a good start. In my position I monitor
human rights with regard to health, education and child protection portfolios to
name a few. Good education is the essential foundation in all of these areas.
Educators carry a large responsibility, but it is a joyous one. Education is the
most positive of all areas of service delivery.



At this
year’s COAG meeting in February, the Minister for Education, Science and
Training, and her state and territory counterparts agreed to make early
childhood education a priority for young Indigenous
Australians.



Early
childhood education provides an important link between home and school. It
assists in improving the “school readiness” of Indigenous students
and their successful participation in primary school education.



If the
Commonwealth specifies two years of high quality early childhood education prior
to the first year of formal schooling, then let’s make sure that remote
communities are the first to receive resources to make this a reality.
Let’s look to positively discriminate in favour of those environments that
have perhaps the fewest resources.



Given the
critical importance of education to all aspects of a well functioning society, I
would like to suggest the development of a national think tank with a role to
discuss Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school education. A national think
tank would provide an authoritative Indigenous voice on Indigenous school
education. We need to do some high level thinking and planning about what we
want to achieve in Indigenous education in 10 years time and in 20 years time.
I’d like to be able to set some targets, and to work with governments to
achieve these targets. It means looking across employment and enterprise
development to ensure that school education meets the needs of those young
people who want to go on to further study, and those who want to use their
skills in employment in their communities. I am convening a national summit on
Indigenous health, and now it is time to do the same in education.



As
educators we must acknowledge that there is there is always room to develop,
fine tune and add new approaches to teaching methods, while holding on to and
strengthening strategies that achieve results in each local context. As we know
there is still a long way to go to bring Indigenous students to the level of
their non-Indigenous peers as a minimum.



I’d
like to finish by acknowledging and commending the work of the teachers who are
here today. I continue to be impressed by your hard work, your willingness to
engage with ideas and your capacity to take on the many complex tasks that are
required of you. You are the people who have the critical role in realising the
learning potential of Indigenous children.



Through
the development of a national Indigenous education think tank I hope to be part
of a process to support you in your work, now and into the future.



Thank
you