Indigenous-Education-Review_DRAFT

Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory
Bruce Wilson
The position for middle years students in these schools is similar. NAPLAN literacy rates
among Year 9 students in very remote schools are around 10%, with almost none of them
achieving the writing national minimum standard. The review’s proposal is that this outcome
is unacceptable. There are 66 very remote schools offering middle years programs, with an
average enrolment of 26 students. Of these, two are town schools and a further eight
schools have a significant middle years population, which would probably be sustained
under the recommendations in this review, either through remote secondary provision or by
negotiation at the regional level. A small number of additional very remote schools are close
enough to a school likely to offer secondary schooling to take advantage of that opportunity.
The remaining schools have smaller populations and often uneven attendance, so that, as
identified above for senior students, programs lack breadth and relatively few students gain
material benefits. These students are younger and there are larger numbers than for senior
students. The review’s proposal is that the shift to residential accommodation be managed
gradually and that communities be engaged in the process. With community support, it is
anticipated that the great majority of current students can be moved to the new
arrangements. Initial trials will identify potential barriers and enable mechanisms to be put
in place to remove them.
Some young people in bush communities will have the option of participating in the VET
based options outlined in this report. The new Remote School Attendance Strategy will
assist in ensuring that students not participating are identified and assisted in making the
transition to the new arrangements. The strategy is intended to work closely with families
and communities to support better attendance and engagement, and the presence of
attendance officers in 21 towns and communities will be a key element in ensuring that the
transition is well managed. The provision of better quality secondary schooling with clear
links to future options including employment, albeit in a different location, could provide a
further incentive for students and families. Students will also retain options including
distance education and home schooling, though these are unlikely on their own to be
effective in many cases.
DRAFT
The review’s core argument is that continuing to provide a poor quality secondary education
in many communities is not a viable option. While the recommended approach in this report
is challenging, it is also the only way in which many Indigenous secondary students will gain
an education that gives them future options and a degree of power over their own lives.
Very remote primary schools
These proposals raise issues about the status of remaining bush schools. It is proposed that
regions negotiate with each school to determine what, if any, schooling each is equipped to
provide beyond Year 6. Most schools will finish at Year 6. A small number will have the
capacity to deliver one year of middle schooling, or possibly up to Year 8 in a very limited
number of cases. These decisions should be based on clear criteria to be further developed,
but including:
the likelihood of a continuing viable enrolment base;
an attendance record that underpins program effectiveness;
explicit community support for attendance measures;
staff capacity to deliver the Australian Curriculum without above‐formula numbers;
and
infrastructure capacity to accommodate anticipated student numbers and meet
curriculum needs.
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