Aboriginal Illiteracy
Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes: I direct my question without notice to the Attorney General, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Training. Is the Minister aware of the Hands Across the Nation Appeal, which highlights that only one in five children in remote indigenous communities can read at the accepted minimum standard? Is the Minister aware that by year 7 only 15 per cent of indigenous children living in remote areas are able to read at the minimum required level, and that illiteracy is the primary factor in low school retention rates? Is the Minister aware that regular absenteeism, poor or unhelpful teaching, and a lack of understanding by teachers of the special needs of indigenous students contribute to the difficulties of indigenous children acquiring functional literacy levels? Given the disturbing figures, what programs will be established to introduce mainstream curriculum and teaching standards in the State, to help marginalised indigenous children gain fundamental literacy skills in order to build successful and fulfilling lives?
The Hon. John Hatzistergos: I know Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes has joined Family First. The week before last, at the State conference of the Labor Party, the Premier outlined a comprehensive set of initiatives to address this issue. I refer the honourable member to those announcements, which were followed by a meeting at a La Perouse school, which both the Premier and the Minister for Education and Training attended. I agree with Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes.
I think there are a number of issues involved in children’s education matters, the most fundamental of which is attendance. Students do not get off the starting blocks unless they attend school and participate. We have introduced a range of initiatives, which have been outlined more broadly—covering not just indigenous people—to improve school attendance and to provide additional assistance to ensure we have highly trained teachers who are able to provide, in some instances, one-on-one assistance to the indigenous students who, unfortunately, have missed out.
I will obtain a more detailed answer for Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes from the Minister for Education and Training. However, I refer him to the Premier’s announcements made at the State Labor Conference.
Deferred answer
On 24 November 2009 Reverend the Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes asked the Attorney General, representing the Minister for Education and Training, a question without notice regarding Aboriginal literacy skills. The Minister for Education and Training provided the following response:
Data from the 2008 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for NSW indicates that in reading:
● 75.5 per cent of Year 3 Aboriginal students in remote NSW are at or above the national minimum standard;
● 56.7 per cent of Year 5 Aboriginal students in remote NSW are at or above the national minimum standard;
● 70.7 per cent of Year 7 Aboriginal students in remote NSW are at or above the national minimum standard.
While significantly better than the figures quoted in the Member’s question, the NSW Government recognises the urgent need for further improvement in Aboriginal student outcomes.
The NSW Government believes that initiatives to support Aboriginal student learning and welfare should be designed and implemented in partnership with the Aboriginal community. The Aboriginal Education and Training Strategy 2009-2012, and supporting resources, assist schools to effectively and meaningfully engage with their local Aboriginal communities.
The Department of Education and Training funds a wide range of initiatives to improve Aboriginal literacy, numeracy, engagement, attendance and retention outcomes, including:
● the Schools in Partnership initiative;
● the Norta Norta Program;
● the employment of Aboriginal Education Officers in schools; and
● the development and implementation of Personalised Learning Plans for Aboriginal students, in partnership with parents and carers.
The $891 million joint Commonwealth–NSW Smarter Schools National Partnerships program is directing significant new resources to schools serving socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Examples of the types of initiatives that schools can use this funding for include:
● focused literacy and numeracy interventions for students experiencing difficulty;
● incentives to attract and retain high quality teachers and principals;
● additional support positions to enhance student welfare;
● teacher training;
● co-located services in schools, such as early childhood, health and community services.
Further information can be found at www.nationalpartnerships.nsw.edu.au.
In addition, the NSW Government recently announced a package of new measures, including:
● a five-day training and induction course for all teachers newly appointed to schools with high Aboriginal enrolments. As part of the course, teachers will learn how to work effectively with Aboriginal community members and how to design lesson plans to engage Aboriginal children;
● personalised tutorial assistance for all Aboriginal children in public primary schools who do not meet the national minimum standards in literacy and numeracy;
● the establishment of a $100,000 per year Aboriginal
Leadership in Education Fund to assist talented Aboriginal staff take on leadership roles in their schools and the Department.