It comes as no surprise that NAPLAN tests show aboriginal children still falling behind in the one-way, racist street called education. The learning, cultural delivery aspects are 100% european, rebadged as "Australian in the same way North American sourced General Motors Products were rebadged as "Holden". Aboriginal children parents and communities are culturally and personally insulted on a daily basis by a foreign education system which daily dimishes and devalues our culture. While English and UK history are taught from the bosom of their culture, as juxtaposed carelessly across our country, the closest to any of our cultures "taught" is "aboriginal studies", in a hostile anglophile environment, under the control of, and with subject matter ultimately determined by, yes,ultimately, our oppressors, the neo-colonist governments who as queens in the mould of Marie Antoinette (excepting as elections draw near) rule over us. So what exactly, is this "aboriginal culture" they teach? A mish-mash conjectured by eminent professorial scholars as being representative of the 710 distinctly different languages and cultures which make up the rich tapestry of our collective peoples. A mish-mash which brings an air of self satisfaction,perhaps, to the uninitiated,to the tokenist - yet remains irrelevant to the majority of aboriginal people. Our cultures languages and places are intrinsically inseparable, and any attempt to teach one in isolation from the rest, or the rest in isolation from one, will not, and should not, succeed. Each tribal group must have the liberty to develop and nurture their own culture, in a manner completely under their control, as they see fit.Only finance is required to reknit the shredded torn fabric of our cultures,places and peoples.These learning places should be at the exclusive determination of the aboriginal peoples uncontaminated by colonist education-including myself.These structures should not and must not be subjected to controls of any external powers- That was the inevitable failing of the ATSIC model, and will be a key failing of the intervention.
Whose aboriginal culture,exactly,do these arrogant people teach? Theirs?Certainly not mine.
The proposition that aboriginal communities should have autonomy for the reperpetuation of our cultures, for our own as well as non-aboriginal peoples educational benefit ,would deliver educational parity- they teach their culture values et. al.They teach in their learning environment of choice, and we teach ours. They set their measures of success,and we set ours. This would afford our young people the comfort of a friendly learning environment, our elders the dignity of having their culture and learning gain parity of respect. This will incentivise our youth and communities to have the respect for our culture and learning which is theirs to carry forward. It is well known that the socio-economic status of aboriginal culture in the context of the wider Australian education system is negligible- disregarded, a mere tourist novelty.To change this aboriginal culture and education must have cultural parity.
As to our children's participation in, acceptance in and acceptance of the White education system - in its current form our extinction is arguably the cynical colonist plan today,and certainly the inevitable result. I would find it inconceivable that an aboriginal raised parent could truthfully give their child confidence in any aspect of any Australian educational vehicle, private public or otherwise. Australian education is so systemically monocultural and racist, so alien in its values and aims, that only aboriginals who have been "whitened on the inside" will support it.
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