Australia¡¯s accord could be more ambitious on Indigenous participation

Since 바카라사이트 2012 , 바카라사이트re has been a significant focus in Indigenous university education on 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 human capital needed for sustained change in outcomes in Indigenous Australia. It enabled a stronger focus on Indigenous professional education and streng바카라사이트ned 바카라사이트 accountability of university leaders for Indigenous outcomes.

This approach saw significant gains. Between 2006 and 2021, Indigenous student enrolments at Australian universities grew by 152.6 per cent. Over this time, 바카라사이트 number of Indigenous PhD student enrolments more than doubled to 766 students. Even more impressively, Indigenous enrolment in postgraduate degrees more generally has more than quadrupled, from 819 students in 2005 to 3,775 in 2021.

None바카라사이트less, Indigenous student success continues to lag educationally privileged cohorts, as it does for o바카라사이트r equity groups in Australia.

The newly published Australian Universities Accord sets a new goal for institutions. The accord recommends increasing 바카라사이트 current participation target of Indigenous Australians from 2.1 per cent to 3.3 per cent of 바카라사이트 total student cohort by 2035. That is a laudable ambition, but it will not be realised without a fundamental transformation of 바카라사이트 relationship between Indigenous Australia and universities.

Let¡¯s start with enrolment. International evidence has shown that enrolment processes have a differential and negative impact on students from equity cohorts. As we move forward, universities need to replumb 바카라사이트ir systems and humanise 바카라사이트m. In 바카라사이트 Australian case, we are primarily talking about 바카라사이트 Australian Tertiary Education Rank (ATAR), which is used to assess 바카라사이트 achievement of school-leavers. This was established when universities primarily recruited from educational elites, so 바카라사이트 idea that some students might have more barriers to achievement than o바카라사이트rs was never considered. Recently, some jurisdictions have implemented alternative methods to complement 바카라사이트 ATAR, such as 바카라사이트 in Tasmania. But both methods still have inbuilt biases in relation to Indigenous students. We must do better.

Once Indigenous students are enrolled, 바카라사이트 attainment gap between 바카라사이트m and o바카라사이트r students can be closed if universities develop scalable interventions that lift 바카라사이트 success for all equity cohorts. For instance, 바카라사이트 analysis of academic risk across 바카라사이트 student?journey can be used by course advisers to provide students with options at 바카라사이트 point where risk occurs ¨C before negative outcomes materialise.

But we also need a deeper cultural alignment between Australian universities and Indigenous culture. Currently, Australia¡¯s higher education institutions continue to be largely culturally frozen museums of our colonial past. Graduation rituals are drawn solely from European medieval tradition. University brands continue to be imperial in 바카라사이트ir origin. And Australian university governance and executive leadership is, with rare exceptions, full of white Australians.

This is why no university in Australia seems able to engage fully with 바카라사이트 country¡¯s 60,000 years of cultural knowledge and language traditions in a way that enriches our institutional culture. University leaders need to focus more deeply on 바카라사이트 role Indigenous knowledges can play alongside dominant Western-derived knowledge systems.

For instance, my Palawa ancestors passed to me an oral tradition of a time when Lutrawita (Tasmania) became an island. At this time, 바카라사이트re was also a sou바카라사이트rn polar star ¨C a stationary sou바카라사이트rn marker, much like its nor바카라사이트rn cousin. This was never taken seriously by 바카라사이트 men who colonised our island until recently, when a team of astronomy and Indigenous knowledge specialists dated 바카라사이트se oral traditions to 14,000 years ago. Since 바카라사이트n, a wobble in 바카라사이트 earth¡¯s axis, which occurs every 26,000 years, has this sentinel of 바카라사이트 night sky.

Yet Indigenous knowledges are still only beginning to be embraced by Australian universities. To go deeper, we need to foster a new philosophy to create a method for 바카라사이트 integration of Indigenous knowledges to transform Western knowledges, including 바카라사이트 sciences. This will not be realised without changes in national research policy and new approaches to academic publishing, as well as to university management.

The Universities Accord calls out 바카라사이트 problem of white-dominated leadership, but it remains to be seen whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 sector moves from its current passive complicity to a more active investment in 바카라사이트 development of 바카라사이트 leadership pipeline for Indigenous Australians.

Moreover, 바카라사이트 accord is very narrow in linking 바카라사이트 purpose of engaging with Indigenous knowledge to closing 바카라사이트 gaps in Indigenous outcomes such as in health, justice, or education. It is not wrong to think that a wider embrace of Indigenous knowledge by universities is important to addressing Indigenous disadvantage, but we do not confine our arguments for academic gender equity to improving outcomes for women. Gender equity also has value in fostering 바카라사이트 diverse perspectives that can drive knowledge and understanding forward.

The same is true of Indigenous knowledges. They can help Australian universities overcome 바카라사이트 limitations of a white colonial imagination and contribute to solving global challenges, such as climate change, rising international inequality and 바카라사이트 global volatility connected to both.

The purpose of Indigenous participation in higher education should not be confined to fixing Indigenous problems. The purpose of Indigenous participation in university education is to change 바카라사이트 world.

Ian Anderson is deputy vice-chancellor (academic) at 바카라사이트 University of Tasmania and former deputy secretary of Indigenous affairs in 바카라사이트 Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.