The historical and social context of Indigenous education policy

Abstract

The gap between the educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their non-Indigenous counterparts remains a significant issue for Federal and State Government and Education providers since their introduction into the Eurocentric classroom setting. Indigenous policy has sought to address the disparity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their non-Indigenous counterparts since the late 1960s (Beresford, 2012; Hickling-Hudson & Ahlquist, 2003; Vass, 2012). Present policy developed from the review and recommendations of previous policy are encouraged to break the ‘deficit view’, that is, the devaluation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ educational potential (MCEETYA, 2006). However, there is little alignment between the historical and social context of policy and the historical and social context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and the maintenance of the dominant ideology is maintained. Within this presentation, an overview of current policy strategies that addresses the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their non-Indigenous counterparts is provided. This is juxtaposed against the findings and recommendations of the Schools Commission Report provided in 1975 in consultation with the Aboriginal Consultative Group (Schools Commission, 1975). In turn, the findings contribute to the struggle for self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people around policy decision making and potential policy revision.