A pilot program established in remote Aboriginal communities has been found to make great progress in improving Indigenous school attendance.
The Learning on Country program was established in July 2013 and delivered across five Arnhem Land sites - Maningrida, Yirrkala, Laynhapuy Homelands (Yirrkala), Groote Island and Galiwin'ku (Elcho Island). It was developed through a collaborative process involving the Australian Government, community development practitioners, educators, local Elders and senior Indigenous Rangers.
An evaluation of the program, jointly conducted by NCIS and CAEPR of the Australian National University - led by Dr Bill Fogarty - has found that in the first two years of the trial, key areas of improvement can be seen in student attendance; intergenerational transfers of knowledge; increased awareness and access to pathways of employment for students; and greater levels of commitment and engagement from the wider community.
A major aim of Learning on Country is to make school more relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in remote areas by using an innovative educational approach to teach students about customary knowledge, culture, literacy and numeracy.
The emerging trend on improved attendance rates found in the research shows the effectiveness that this program has in using a local knowledge base to engage students with their own culture, identity and place; serving as a platform for wider education, and strengthening a schools capacity to address and meet the needs of Indigenous communities.
The final report is available on the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet website.
Also released this year is a related piece of research conducted by Dr R.G (Jerry) Schwab and Dr Bill Fogarty published through the UNESCO Observatory E-Journal titled: Land, Learning and Identity: toward a deeper understanding of Indigenous Learning on Country.
Researcher Contact:
Dr R.G. (Jerry) Schwab
Director, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
E: jerry.schwab@anu.edu.au
T: (02) 6125 8205