Education and the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians


WORDS BY KATIA RAWLINGS.

Education is vital in our country in order to raise the leaders of tomorrow. But not everyone has the same opportunities for education that you and I do. There are people all over Australia who are missing out on the education that every person deserves. Education does not have to mean schooling, it can also be viewed as any form of transfer of knowledge. This can be an exchange of knowledge between a professor and a student or between two people of different cultures. 

When we decided to update the Acknowledgement of country, I began to understand the importance of education on culture. The passing of information between First Nations Peoples of Australia and non-Indigenous Australians, the way we educate ourselves and the children of the future.

At the end of every year the student council has an induction week where they all meet up to learn about their roles, and talk about the plans for the upcoming year. This was the first year that the Empire Times Editors were invited, and whilst a lot of what we learnt wasn’t relevant to our roles as editors, there was a specific moment that will stick with me. We were treated to a Welcome to Country by senior Kaurna man, Uncle Mickey Kumatpi O’Brien, which was an experience that I have never had the pleasure of receiving before. 

He spoke to everyone about the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country, whilst teaching us about the important distinctions separating the two. As he was speaking, it struck me that despite all the attempts at inclusion and reconciliation, there are still lines of separation between the First Nations people of Australia and non-Indigenous Australians. As he spoke, he listed different moments in recent history, starting from when Australia was first invaded. He spoke of the making of the South Australian flag and questioned us on what each component was. I didn’t even know what the South Australian flag looked like until he showed me. He spoke of Indigenous culture and what it means to Indigenous Australians. It made me question what our country’s culture even was and what it means. 

Despite ongoing reconciliation, there is still space between First Nations Australians and non-Indigenous Australians. Unfortunately, there is a space from birth, preconceived notions in the minds of adults which are then conveyed to children. An Indigenous friend of mine studies early childhood education at Flinders and recently took a class titled ‘Teaching Indigenous students’. My first thought when she mentioned this was “why does there even have to be a class on teaching Indigenous children? Why can’t we treat them like any other child?” Her response was that in the curriculum, there has to be a component on the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, which can be a bit traumatic for some children of First Nations heritage. Understanding the history and how intergenerational trauma is formed can help teachers be more compassionate towards those who need it. 

Whilst I understand this concept, others in her class did not understand the same. In trying to compensate for the trauma that these students and their ancestors have endured, they went too far the opposite way and imagined special treatment. My friend and her teacher are firm believers that First Nations students should be treated the same as any other child, except in the circumstance of trauma and history. It’s the same as treating a child that has experienced abuse sensitively when the topic of abuse comes up. It’s understanding what that specific child has gone through, and how to best handle the situation. These student teachers could understand and acknowledge the space between First Nations Australians and non-Indigenous Australians but instead of treating them like any other students they imagined accommodations that were not suitable. Instead of teaching a class as a whole they thought to take time to sit and help First Nations students on topics they may understand without the extra attention and time. This creates an even bigger rift, which is then conveyed to the students they teach, therefore continuing the generational separation of First Nations Australians and non-Indigenous Australians. 

We need to acknowledge that despite efforts that have been made, a space still exists between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and non-Indigenous peoples. Our aim should be to make it smaller.


 

EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been reuploaded and was originally published in 2023.

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