The Access To Education Of Indigenous Children In Australia

The education received by indigenous children, particularly in remote areas, is not adequate or equivalent to what other Australian children have access to in cities and larger regional towns. Wilcannia Central School in a remote part of north-western New South Wales is a reception to year 12 school with 67 students, 94% of which are indigenous. Just 25% of all students attend school more than 90% of the time. The NAPLAN results in all aspects and year levels are on average 2 – 3 bands lower than the national average score (Myschool.edu.au, 2019).

The lower attendance rate for indigenous children in primary schools links directly to the low levels of basic reading, writing and literacy understanding in children and ongoing decreasing levels of attendance leading into high school. Indigenous children have a lower attendance rate than non-indigenous children, but their attendance is lowest in remote areas (as displayed in graph below (Pmc.gov, 2019)).

Closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous education has shown improvements in the last 10 years. This is demonstrated by a rise of 20% of indigenous Australians proceeding to gain higher education at university (Nteu.org.au, 2019). This is a great step in the right direction but still a long way from the target of having indigenous and non-indigenous education at an equal standard.

A lack of infrastructure and the difficulty in attracting good teachers to remote areas makes it difficult to deliver an education program that engages indigenous children to increase attendance rates. In addition, indigenous children may not be supported in their studies at home, leading to them having a lowered work ethic.

“Education is one of the key social factors that shape our lives and our health. Lower levels of education can be linked to shorter life expectancy, poorer physical and mental health, lower wages, higher risk of unemployment and greater exposure to crime.” (Australian Men’s Health Forum, 2019). This impacts the current generation but also puts at risk the next generation of students that may also not have the support they need.

The quality of the content the children are exposed to is lower in indigenous rural schools. It is not up to date and in some cases irrelevant to their learning abilities. The following is a quote taken from the article ‘Stop focusing on ‘the problem’ in Indigenous education and start looking at learning opportunities.’ (The Conversation, 2019). “Students’ ability to learn a subject is based on whether, and for how long, they are exposed to it in school – as well as the adequacy and effectiveness of their engagement in the learning process”.

Action needs to be taken to ensure that indigenous people in rural areas have access to the same funding for indigenous schools to improve quality of education and make schooling cheaper and more accessible. A Government funded scheme ABSTUDY School Fees Allowance is already available for students to help with school fees in some specific circumstances but this sort of funding needs to be available for a broader range of indigenous children.

The Remote Schools Attendance Strategy had been set up by the Government to help students be transported to and from school. Since the program was set up 5 years ago, the attendance rate in these schools has risen by 48% (Pmc.gov, 2019). The Good Start Breakfast Club has been set up to provide children with breakfast each morning before school. This organisation has greatly benefited communities and had great results in improving the attendance of many primary school children which will help them to build positive attendance habits in the future.

It is important to find a way for indigenous children to be engaged and enjoy coming to school. This will set up a good relationship with education from a younger age before high school, which in turn, makes it likely that these students will remain in school for longer and see the rate of year 12 completion grow. Programs like the ones already installed by the Government need to be more available for the indigenous community to provide them with the benefits of an education and give them opportunities to learn.