Key Points
- O le vala i le tulaga a'oa'oina o fanau a tagata muamua e fa'atusa i isi tamaiti i a'oga i le atunu'u o loo iai pea, e ui ina molimauina se suiga.
- O loo talitonu nisi e lava le tomai i mata'upu i a'oga, e taua tele le fa'aaogaina o tu ma aganu'u a tagata muamua, o se vaega o a'oga a le fanau.
- Se teineititi Vasega 12 o loo fa'aaogaina ana tu ma aganu'u o se vaega o lona ola taumafai i a'oga.
Ae le'i taunu'u papalagi i laufanua o Ausetalia, sa iai lava auala na faia ai a'oga e pasi ai le poto ma le iloa e auga tupulaga o Tagata Muamua - sa malosi i so'otaga ma le 'ele'ele ma fanua ma aiga. O loo fa'atauaina pea nei so'otaga i aso nei.
E ui i lea, o loo molimauina pea le valavala o le tulaga o fanau a tagata muamua ma isi tamaiti i a'oga i le atunu'u. E to'atele atu tamaiti mai tagata muamua e le auai i a'oga, maualalo le tulaga i le numera ma le faitau tusi, ma to'alaiti e 'ausia se tulaga e mafai ai ona ulufale i Univesite. O mafua'aga ua loa ona silafia, e pei o le fa'ailoga tagata, leai o ni metotia fa'afaia'oga e fa'aaoga iai tu ma aganu'u a tagata muamua, atoa ai le tulaga mativa ma le tagolima.
E pei ona saunoa Sharon Davis, o se tagata Bardi ma Kija, CEO o le National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC), e taua tele ona iloa le tala fa'asolopito o faiga fa'ailoga lanu i fanau a tagata muamua i se talanoaga i le tau soso'o o le vala lea.
“Legislations and policies have explicitly worked to keep Aboriginal kids out of school since the beginning,”
“It's highlighted policies like the exclusion on demand policies introduced in the early 20th century… where non-Indigenous families could demand the removal of Aboriginal kids from classrooms.”
Sharon Davis, CEO of NATSIEC Source: Supplied / Sharon Davis
O se vaega o lenei fa'ato'esega, na faia ai ma se ta'utinoga e soso'o le vala lenei i le va o tagata muamua ma isi i le atunu'u i vaega o le soifuaga e aofia ai a'oga.
O se tasi o sini autu o le National Agreement on Closing the Gap o le suia lea o auala e galulue fa'atasi ai matagaluega a le malo ma tagata muamua e taumafai e soloia vaega o loo le tutusa ai aia ma avanoa, ae fa'avae se alafua fou mo le manuia o tagata muamua.
“We know that Aboriginal community-controlled organisations are the most sustainable way to address the needs of communities,” Davis says.
“And where our people lead education, we see better engagement, better outcomes, and stronger pathways for our young people.”
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What is Closing the Gap?
Fa'amata e aoga tu ma aganu'u a tagata muamua i le aga'i i le lumana'i?
O Dr Anthony McKnight o se ali'i Awabakal, Gameroi ma Yuin man, o loo galue i le University of Wollongong’s Woolyungah Indigenous Centre.
Ua tele tausaga o galue e sa'ili auala e fa'aaogaina ai tu ma aganu'u a tagata muamua i le silapasi o a'oga a fanau.
Na saunoa Dr McKnight e tatau ona toe sasa'a le foaga i le mata'upu i a'oga ma le taumafaiga e soso'o le vala. O loo utia fanau a tagata muamua i le va o a'oa'oga fa'a tu ma aganu'u, ma a'oga masani i le atunu'u.
“For me, if you got a spectrum there, you've got Aboriginal education and Western education and then the Aboriginal student in between.”
Na ia ta'ua o le taumafaiga o loo iai, o le taumafai e toso mai tamaiti o tagata muamua e soso'o ma isi tamaiti i a'oga.
“But it leaves a massive gap back to their own education system.”
“For me it should be about the Aboriginal child in the middle and then the two knowledges come together to that middle ground. Our students have got to be skilled to be able to live in both knowledge systems.”
Dr McKnight has spent years teaching and researching how to embed Aboriginal pedagogy in curriculum, policy, and practice. Source: Supplied / MichaelDavidGray
“Trying to look after not just Aboriginal children, but non-Aboriginal children in taking care of this place… It’s the entity that provides us with everything we need and we all walk the same land, drink the same water, breathe the same air.”
Equality of education outcomes—a roadmap in progress
I fa'amaumauga lata mai o le latest data available from the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, ua amata ona manifi le vala i le a'o'aoina o fanau a tagata muamua ma isi tamaiti i le atunu'u, peita'i o loo iai pea.
“For example, the retention rates of Indigenous students in secondary school currently sits at 59 per cent compared to non-Indigenous students which is around 85 per cent,” Davis.
“And when we see gaps in outcomes, that's more a reflection of how education has failed to serve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and young people, learners, not the other way around.”
Retori Lane (L) with her mother, Jenadel Lane. Source: Supplied / Retori Lane
O ia ma nisi tamaiti o fanau a tagata muamua le vasega aupito to'atele o tagata muamua ua mae'a a'oga i le Year 12 i New South Wales.
Na ia ta'ua le tele o le fesoasoani na ia mauaina mai faia'oga o tagata muamua ma le National Aboriginal Sports Corporation Australia (NASCA), o se fa'alapotopotoga i NSW ma le Northern Territory e fesoasoani i fanau a tagata muamua i a'oga.
“I definitely had a lot of support from especially all the staff,” she says. “And also the NASCA workers. They'd come, they'd take you to lessons, they'd help you all the way through. And then the teachers were just there to help with anything.”
O le tina o Retori, Jenadel, le sui pule o le a'oga Dubbo Senior College lea na i'u mai ai lana tama.
“I'm passionate about getting Aboriginal kids that complete Year 12, because that's my little bit that I can contribute to my mob, that's why I became a teacher.
“And then hopefully that'll open up the floodgates for them for life after school.”
Na fa'aalia e Retori o le isi matati'a o soso'o nei o sona tikeri mai se Univesite.
“Trying to get myself in a position to educate other Indigenous kids that have lost it through generations. So, hopefully help be part of the process to revive the culture, bring it back to life.”
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Who are the Stolen Generations?
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