Education is the Key: AEU report
A new report into the impact of the federal Indigenous intervention in the Northern Territory finds that at least $1.7 billion over five years in additional funding is needed to deliver a high quality education to all children in the territory.
The AEU report‚ Education is the Key: An education future for Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory (PDF), indicates that as many as 7500 Indigenous children are missing out on preschool or school.
Also‚ up to 5000 potential students under the age of 18 in remote areas have no access to secondary or vocational education services.
On the ground research reveals enrolments have surged in some community schools as a result of the intervention but schools have been left to struggle without additional support.
Current funding is based on school attendance rather than enrolments. This means when additional children turn up to school there are not enough teachers‚ desks or other facilities.
There are fears of increased teacher resignations on top of already high turnover rates as a result.
The report recommends at least 1360 extra teachers are needed‚ along with up to 585 additional school staff‚ including bilingual Indigenous assistant teachers‚ costing around $264 million.
It also recommends up to $440m for one-off infrastructure costs including new buildings.
The Federal Government needs to back up its actions with resources. Anything less than the recommended $1.7bn will leave NT Indigenous students at a disadvantage to the rest of Australia and perpetuate the problems we see today.
