The Directorate has an ongoing commitment to enhancing our education system culture to better support the needs of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff members in ACT public schools and the education support office.
Cultural Integrity in ACT Public Schools
Cultural integrity describes the environment a school creates to demonstrate both respect and high regard for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, knowledge systems and languages; to welcome and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and local community members; and to meet the learning needs and aspirations of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
In 2017-18, the Directorate focussed on its cultural integrity journey by developing and delivering a range of initiatives across schools and within Education Support Office.
Schools have been provided a comprehensive set of supporting resources, framed around a self-assessment continuum which is continually updated and improved. Resources include examples of local and international leading practice. Schools will also continue to have access to the Directorate’s suite of targeted support programs.
Cultural Competence
Between July 2017 and June 2018 more than 80 staff undertook cultural competency professional learning, providing an opportunity to challenge perceptions and deficit discourse. This led to the creation of site-based cultural action plans and a cultural integrity framework for the Directorate.
Preschool for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children
The Directorate’s Koori Preschool Program provides high quality early childhood education at five sites across Canberra. Children from birth to three years can attend a Koori Preschool when accompanied by a parent or guardian, enabling greater family involvement and supporting transition to formal schooling.
Koori Preschools are located at:
- Ngunnawal Primary School;
- Wanniassa School;
- Richardson Primary School;
- Narrabundah Early Childhood School; and
- Kingsford Smith School.
In addition to enrolling in Koori Preschool, children can also attend their local preschool, providing access of up to 24 hours per week of high-quality preschool education in the 18 months prior to starting kindergarten.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary Scholarships
A total of $75,000 is available annually for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Secondary Scholarships Program, directed towards students interested in pursuing degrees in health, teaching or a vocational qualification.
Since its inception in 2009, 57 senior secondary students received scholarships: 42 for teaching, 14 for health and one for vocational education. In 2017, the Directorate awarded six scholarships; four for students interested in a career in education and two for students interested in a career in health.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tertiary Scholarships
Each year $80,000 is available for scholarships (worth up to $20,000 per student) to support and encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying teaching or health at the Australian Catholic University (ACU), University of Canberra (UC) or the Australian National University (ANU).
Since its inception in 2009, 31 tertiary scholarships have been awarded for teaching and approved health degrees. In 2018, the Directorate received 16 applications, the largest field in the history of the Tertiary Scholarship program. This year, the Directorate awarded three teaching scholarships and two health scholarships to students attending UC and ACU.
Mura Awards
The Mura Awards initiative provides an opportunity for schools to acknowledge the achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and to engage with families and the local community. The bursaries attached to the Mura Awards supports participation in education by providing some financial assistance for educational expenses such as excursions and uniforms.
56 Mura Awards were awarded late in 2017 with each student receiving a $400 bursary for the 2018 school year.
Strengthening and Promoting Ngunnawal Culture and History in Schools
The ACT Government's 2016-17 Budget included a $300,000 two-year program, Better Schools – Strengthening and Promoting Ngunnawal Culture and History, to support schools and students to engage with the Traditional Owners and incorporate Ngunnawal culture across all ACT public schools.
The Directorate is encouraging the inclusion of existing local resources in teaching and learning programs and promoting the exploration of a variety of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages and cultures into local school learning and teaching activities.
Community Yarns
The Community Yarns project was developed as part of the Directorate’s Connection Collaboration Careers Leadership: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Action Plan 2014-2017. The aim was to engage members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community for employment opportunities with the Directorate.
In August 2017, a Community Yarn was held in partnership with the Ngunnawal Centre at the University of Canberra to engage with current pre-service teachers and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students also interested in a career in education.
Garma Festival
Each year an estimated 2,500 visitors gather and camp at Gulkula, a traditional ceremonial meeting ground, historically significant to the Yolngu people of the north east Arnhem Land. Its location is remote, 40 kilometres on an unsealed road from the township of Nhulunbuy on the Central Arnhem Highway.
The Garma experience is simply unique. Festival programming includes contemporary policy and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs discussions through to music, art, dance, song, youth, language workshops, fireside chats, bush crafts, guided bush walks, astronomy, women’s healing, cinema, creative writing, Yolngu ceremonies, nightly lectures, poetry recitals and a fancy dinner under the stars. Garma’s impact is highly significant and participants felt empowered by the conversations, connections, ideas and ways of doing things together.
National Reconciliation Week
In the lead up to the first national public holiday to recognise and celebrate Reconciliation Day (27 May 2018), nine ACT public schools where successful in obtaining grant funding from the ACT Reconciliation Day Grant Program. These grants provided ACT public school, school leaders the opportunity to further promote Reconciliation within their school communities through activities and conversations engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, families and communities.
Reconciliation Action Plan – Keeping It Alive 2016-2018
Reconciliation – Keeping It Alive 2016-2018 articulates the Directorate’s commitment to Reconciliation, which is demonstrated through an individual’s ‘next most powerful step’. This requires reflecting upon Reconciliation, then determining and taking a personally meaningful action to support Reconciliation.
Buroinjin
Buroinjin is a traditional Aboriginal game played throughout the east coast of Australia. Buroinjin is a community game and each team consists of boys and girls playing together. The name Buroinjin is from the Kabi Kabi people of south Queensland. The game is similar to European Handball and the ball, called a Buroinjin, was traditionally made from animal skin, sown together with sinew and stuffed with grass.
On 13 and 14 March 2018, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Officers hosted the 2018 Primary and High School Buroinjin Carnivals at Deakin touch fields. This was the biggest turnout on record with 56 teams and about 780 students participating over the two days.