Education fund proposed for Indigenous youth

15 March 2007

An 'entitlement fund to 12 years of education' is one recommendation of a new report examining the educational pathways and barriers of Indigenous (Koori) youth in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria.

The funding would create educational options for young Kooris who leave school early.

The report, by Katrina Alford and Richard James of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, and published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) finds that young Kooris in the Goulburn Valley travel a tough road from school and
vocational education and training (VET).

More than a third of Koori youths leave the school system either after primary or in very early secondary school, while less than one quarter make it from Year 7 to Year 12. In doing so, young Indigenous people often miss out on VET in Schools or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning programs, initiatives that link schools to workplaces and which begin in Year 11.

The report estimates that the cost of early school leaving to the regional Koori community is substantial, in terms of high unemployment rates-up to ten times non-Indigenous rates in the area-and lost potential for benefitting from the economic prosperity of the region.

'The findings indicate appalling school outcomes for Kooris in the Goulburn Valley and the need for substantial reform and investment in Koori education,' says Katrina Alford, co-author of the report.

'At present, the regional Koori community loses nearly $3 million a year in unused education funding and it costs Government another $3 million a year in the Goulburn Valley in Indigenous welfare and CDEP (Community Development Employment Program) payments.
The overall community also loses. Racial divisions, poverty, unemployment and inequality do not make for social harmony.'

The barriers to Koori youth identified in the study in participating in education and training include:

• low levels of literacy and numeracy and poor student motivation
• curricula and teaching methods that are sometimes culturally inappropriate, and a shortage of Indigenous staff and appropriate student support
• poorly developed local Indigenous networks
• family and community influences

However, while the problems of educational pathways are complex, the report points out that these challenges should not be seen as insurmountable.

As well as the establishment of the 'entitlement fund', other strategies that might boost successful VET participation include:

• intensive investment in early literacy and numeracy programs and highly coordinated individual case management
• greater involvement of the Indigenous community in the planning and leadership of educational programs
• greater recognition of Koori culture and language in the mainstream education and training system, to promote Indigenous student's engagement with education.

The report notes the success of the Academy of Sport, Health and Education (ASHE), a joint initiative of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club and The University of Melbourne with the support of Goulburn Ovens TAFE, in providing culturally sensitive education programs for students who have left school.

ENDS

Copies of Pathways and barriers: Indigenous schooling and vocational education and training participation in the Goulburn Valley region by Katrina Alford and Richard James, can be accessed from 9.30am AEDT, today http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1734.html.

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