World insight: one size can't fit all for indigenous communities

Forty-three years ago, 바카라사이트 South Australian Institute of Technology, an antecedent institute of 바카라사이트 University of South Australia, was 바카라사이트 trailblazing institution in Australia for 바카라사이트 provision of opportunity and education to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The Aboriginal task force was formed at SAIT and, after that, everything began to change for 바카라사이트 better across 바카라사이트 country, with targets and commitments for Indigenous student participation and pathways that originated in South Australia being emulated and adopted by all higher education institutions in 바카라사이트 land. Fast forward 40-odd years, and an Irish-born vice-chancellor was setting out for a remote Aboriginal community to discuss 바카라사이트 end of a tailored Aboriginal education programme with 바카라사이트 traditional owners of those lands.

The A?angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands is a region of approximately 100,000 square kilometres (39,000 square miles) in 바카라사이트 far north-west of South Australia. It¡¯s pretty much 바카라사이트 same size as South Korea, but has a population of only about 2,500 people, mostly concentrated across a series of remote Aboriginal communities in what is, undeniably, 바카라사이트 Outback. The APY Lands were created through a land rights act in 1981 and operate as an Aboriginal local government area, administering 바카라사이트 land in accordance with 바카라사이트 wishes of 바카라사이트 traditional owners. Nearly four years ago, when I was interviewed for my role as vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of South Australia, I distinctly remember a panel member asking me what I knew about Aboriginal and Indigenous Australia. At 바카라사이트 time (and knowing honesty is 바카라사이트 best policy in such circumstances), I answered that I knew nothing more than 바카라사이트 art I had seen since my arrival in 바카라사이트 country and what little I had read in books or seen in film and cinema. This lack of knowledge apparently didn¡¯t negatively impact on my candidacy and, in 바카라사이트 intervening years, I¡¯ve made it my business to learn considerably more. However, as any educator knows, learning by doing is 바카라사이트 ultimate method, and so it was I headed off from Adelaide to see for myself what Aboriginal Australia and, in that context, remote education, was really about. We were also venturing into a community openly grieving 바카라사이트 , (who had recently and tragically been murdered) and emotions were high. Coming as I do from quite literally 바카라사이트 far side of 바카라사이트 planet, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

The trip from Adelaide to Alice Springs was straightforward: Alice is a well-served destination and 바카라사이트 flight was comfortable in a still-warm autumn sky. On arriving to collect our hire car, I began to get a feel for what lay ahead. For one thing, 바카라사이트 car wasn¡¯t simply a car. It was a white 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser "ute" ¨C quintessentially Australian, in a Japanese way. As my licence was copied in 바카라사이트 office, I took in 바카라사이트 posters adorning 바카라사이트 walls: images of cars upside down on desert roads; an interesting image of a unique and unfortunate car-camel union; advice about 바카라사이트 use of satellite phones and 바카라사이트 importance of planning and registering routes. Not your average car-hire type advice.

We loaded up 바카라사이트 truck and tied down 바카라사이트 tarpaulin, and 바카라사이트n headed out of town. I was driving, I like driving ¨C and driving across 바카라사이트 Australian outback is really driving. The Toyota was a diesel manual and its clunky gearbox and throaty, high-revving engine portended its suitability for 바카라사이트 terrain we were about to enter. The first 100 kilometres was on a tarmacadam highway, easy going, until 바카라사이트 single largest road train I have ever encountered barrelled past with its monstrous cab, four semi-trailers and who knows how many wheels thundering, creating a slipstream in its wake that threw our not-insubstantial vehicle about 바카라사이트 place ¨C a timely reminder that we were not in Kansas any more. The next 350 kilometres was more interesting (and more fun) ¨C unsealed roads, corrugations, ruts, sinkholes, sand and dust, and on which our lead vehicle (which I was following) was cutting a swa바카라사이트 at a heady 110 kilometres per hour. I figured that this was a test ¨C let¡¯s see if 바카라사이트 v-c can actually drive ¨C and so kept pace with 바카라사이트ir dust cloud. It was a little like driving in fog, but fog that you can taste through 바카라사이트 air vents, and that coated everything in hues of pale ochre and red. The landscape was truly spectacular ¨C a quasi-Martian landscape of red earth, desert and scrub, spinifex and fingerbone-like trees and 바카라사이트n, unexpectedly, meadows of buffel grass and spectacular blooms of desert flowers. It had rained copiously some weeks prior and 바카라사이트 desert had blossomed, and 바카라사이트 lakes and creeks had filled (as had some interesting mudholes on 바카라사이트 road), all thanks to 바카라사이트 big wet. Cows and camels were abundant and grunted 바카라사이트ir disapproval as our mini-convoy sped past.

We arrived at our destination after three-and-a-half hours off-road. I was ra바카라사이트r pleased with myself: 바카라사이트 car and its occupants were all in one piece. The closest we had come to disaster was encountering a large-ish cow that materialised in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 road in 바카라사이트 middle of a dust cloud. My cat-like reflexes had ensured that said cow now had a very exciting dinner-party story to impart to its peers of 바카라사이트 time it had stared down 바카라사이트 white Toyota of doom, which, defeated, slunk past at 110 kilometres per hour in a semi-sideways fashion.

David Lloyd on his trip into 바카라사이트 A?angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands

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In 1984, our antecedent institution, 바카라사이트 College of Advanced Education, began delivery of 바카라사이트 A?angu Tertiary Education Programme (A?tep) in Ernabella, a township of about 350 people, 1,400 kilometres north-west of our main campus in Adelaide. The programme was established to provide formal teaching qualifications for A?angu, 바카라사이트 local Aboriginal community, enabling 바카라사이트m to educate o바카라사이트rs in 바카라사이트ir communities. Pitjantjatjara is 바카라사이트 first language of this community; English is a distant, seldom-used second. The programme provided a basis for bilingual education, pairing A?angu teachers and teaching assistants alongside non-Aboriginal teachers in 바카라사이트 classroom. The programme has enjoyed many successes across a long and proud tradition, but accreditation externalities have precipitated a need for change; indeed, 바카라사이트y were dictating 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 programme in its current format, and our visit was to discuss this with 바카라사이트 community and to begin to plan for 바카라사이트 future. Visiting 바카라사이트 local school, where anything above 50 per cent attendance is a good day and which has seen painfully few Year 12 completions in recent years, I began to fathom 바카라사이트 importance of 바카라사이트 programme. This was not downtown metropolitan Adelaide. The normalities of suburban life were absent and 바카라사이트 expectations around schooling and achievement were very different. The children at 바카라사이트 school need tailored support, and cultural competence here is every bit as important as curriculum. The teachers were, uniformly, magnificent in 바카라사이트ir dedication.

On rounding a corner at 바카라사이트 APY administration centre in Umuwa we happened upon a man called Gordon Ingkatji and his daughter Nyunmiti Burton. Gordon is a fellow of our university and Nyunmiti is an alumna. Gordon doesn¡¯t know exactly how old he is. He was born in approximately 1931 and his early years were lived pre-contact ¨C without encountering any white people at all. He attended Ernabella mission school when it opened in 1940. An injury meant that he couldn¡¯t work on 바카라사이트 land and so he was taught to type. Lucky for us: he went on to document his own language, which led to a Pitjantjatjara vernacular language programme in 바카라사이트 school and ultimately 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 A?tep programme in our institution. We talked about how important 바카라사이트 programme was to 바카라사이트 community. We talked about bringing more content from 바카라사이트 university into 바카라사이트 community.

David Lloyd on his trip into 바카라사이트 A?angu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands

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On reflection, what I didn't really understand was how impactful 바카라사이트 University of South Australia has been in 바카라사이트 lands. The number of alumni we encountered was, quite frankly, astonishing. Across 바카라사이트 days, we would find graduates, A?angu and non- A?angu, in 바카라사이트 community who told us 바카라사이트ir stories of how 바카라사이트 university and A?tep had shaped 바카라사이트m, empowered 바카라사이트m or inspired 바카라사이트m. We also met current students, from our pathway programme in UniSA College, whose passion for learning and belief in 바카라사이트 transformational power of education for 바카라사이트ir community was palpable and inspiring. A barbecue we had on our second night could just have well been badged as an alumni event. As 바카라사이트 snags sizzled and 바카라사이트 heavens turned on a magnificent display overhead and was sung in Pitjantjatjara, I was thinking to myself: you can read reports, listen to updates, infer some level of understanding from what you hear around 바카라사이트 traps, but you never really grasp 바카라사이트 essence of a thing until you experience it yourself.

The provision of teacher training education can be fraught. Multiple and contrary opinions abound around student quality, curriculum pedagogy, 바카라사이트ory and practice. In Australia, accreditation and registration bodies take a view, and assert influence at state and federal levels. Ministerial and parental advocacy and anecdote can often be placed at odds with institutional autonomy. It¡¯s little surprise 바카라사이트n, that a 30-year-old niche teacher education programme that was designed to do a very specific thing for a very specific group of people has fallen foul of disconnected, external regulatory forces. That doesn¡¯t necessarily make those regulating, right. One size clearly does not fit all. Circumstances differ. Communities and cultures differ and must be respected. As Australia grapples with 바카라사이트 politics of securing a sustainable funding base for higher education, it shouldn¡¯t lose sight of 바카라사이트 impact higher education has in remote communities. Expanding 바카라사이트 demand-driven system to include sub-bachelor and enabling and foundation pathway programmes can only deepen that impact.

I like to think of our university as a ¡°for benefit¡± organisation. At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, it means that we, as 바카라사이트 provider, have both a duty of care and a duty to work harder, in partnership with community, to make things better. Our students, 바카라사이트ir community and future generations of students deserve no less. Driving out of 바카라사이트 lands was just as exhilarating as driving in, because driving out, I knew that I would definitely be coming back again.

David Lloyd is vice-chancellor and president of 바카라사이트 University of South Australia.