CLOSING THE GAP

Much work has already been done to outline and
examine the issues regarding Indigenous higher
education. These three areas were identified as priorities
based on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Higher Education Advisory Council’s final advice of
2015. This project will help to translate existing research
into clear strategies which can be implemented by
government, universities and other higher education
providers, and industry in collaboration and with the
support of Indigenous leaders and communities.
Strengthening Indigenous
identity through education
The Learning on Country Programme was designed
to increase school attendance, completion and
retention rates, established in four sites in Arnhem
Land: Maningrida, Yirrkala, Laynhapuy Homelands,
and Galiwin’ku (Elcho Island). An evaluation of the
program has found there is strong support from local
Elders and senior rangers, as well as the schools
which have increased their capacity to address and
meet the needs of the Indigenous communities.
Although it was too early in the life of the program
to see a statistically significant relationship between
the program and school attendance rates – teachers,
principals and community members reported a positive
influence on school attendance. The program has
reported a small number of employment outcomes so
far, but has the potential to provide a wide range of
employment pathways. The evaluation also found that
the program is supporting young people to keep and
maintain a strong sense of their Indigenous identity.
Remote School Attendance Strategy
Two major evaluations were undertaken during the first
two years of the Remote School Attendance Strategy
(RSAS). The interim progress report found that RSAS is
having an independently statistically significant impact
on school attendance in Queensland and the Northern
Territory RSAS schools relative to comparable schools.
However, it was hard to determine any obvious impact
of RSAS in South Australian, Western Australian and
New South Wales RSAS schools. The report also found
that the most frequently cited factors for low school
attendance across all schools in the study were funerals/
cultural activities, poor student behaviour, community
unrest and family travel for non-cultural reasons.
The second evaluation, which involved case study
research in six communities where RSAS was
perceived as successful, found that the ability to
adapt RSAS to local conditions is the critical success
factor. Four additional high level success factors
common to all six sites included an effective and
stable RSAS team, a skilled RSAS coordinator,
creating relationships with the community and the
RSAS team and the school working together.
The Remote School Attendance Strategy in the Northern Peninsula Area with Commonwealth
Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion and Minister for Education Simon Birmingham.
CLOSING THE GAP: PRIME MINISTER'S REPORT 2017
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