Abstract:
In recent times Indigenous peoples have used sophisticated networks and modern technologies to assist us in articulating Indigenous Education Rights as we see them.
There exists a number of global documents that articulate these rights, including:
- The Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples
- The Coolongatta Statement
- The UN WGIP draft discussion paper - Our Children, Our Future.
In the Australian context these rights are echoed in the 11 educational recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and recommendation 8 (a&b) of the Bringing Them Home report.
At a domestic level lack of political will in fully implementing these recommendations and statements has ensured that our education system/s continue to fail Indigenous Australian children. Education systems continually review policies that have never been fully implemented as if the policies themselves are at fault. The fault lies in the implementation and the political will to do so !
Education on Indigenous terms must come from a rights based approach. Our children must have their cultural perspectives valued and respected (in both the curriculum and the management of schools) if we are to feel any sense of ownership of the education system. Welfare and deficit models have failed our children and continue to marginalise us as Indigenous people/s.
Education rights cannot be accessed without the pre-eminent Indigenous (collective) right of Self-determination.
Without massive change/s in the current half-hearted government approach to our children's education, our children will continue to vote with their feet and school absenteeism will continue unabaited.
There exists a number of global documents that articulate these rights, including:
- The Draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples
- The Coolongatta Statement
- The UN WGIP draft discussion paper - Our Children, Our Future.
In the Australian context these rights are echoed in the 11 educational recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and recommendation 8 (a&b) of the Bringing Them Home report.
At a domestic level lack of political will in fully implementing these recommendations and statements has ensured that our education system/s continue to fail Indigenous Australian children. Education systems continually review policies that have never been fully implemented as if the policies themselves are at fault. The fault lies in the implementation and the political will to do so !
Education on Indigenous terms must come from a rights based approach. Our children must have their cultural perspectives valued and respected (in both the curriculum and the management of schools) if we are to feel any sense of ownership of the education system. Welfare and deficit models have failed our children and continue to marginalise us as Indigenous people/s.
Education rights cannot be accessed without the pre-eminent Indigenous (collective) right of Self-determination.
Without massive change/s in the current half-hearted government approach to our children's education, our children will continue to vote with their feet and school absenteeism will continue unabaited.