The Aboriginals Community Report: Educational System Analysis

This report delves into the major concerns of Aboriginal children, youth, and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia, focusing on communication barriers, health disparities, child welfare, and youth issues. It identifies the cultural and educational gaps and proposes a need-based funding system as an alternative educational solution. The report analyzes the impact of this system on the Aboriginal community, highlighting the importance of addressing social and economic challenges. The report examines statistics related to educational attainment, employment rates, and access to resources, advocating for the inclusion of Aboriginal studies within the curriculum. It underscores the significance of addressing cultural differences and promoting social justice through education, ultimately aiming to improve the well-being and achievement of the Aboriginal community.

Running head: THE ABORIGINALS COMMUNITY
The Aboriginals Community
Name of the University:
Name of the Student:
Author Note:

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Executive Summary:
The following report will discuss about the major concerning areas of the Aboriginal children
and youth of Australia, and also of the Torres Strait Islanders. The report will further discuss
the educational approach that can be included in order to address the areas of concern and
uplift the aboriginal children and youth.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Concerned Areas:.......................................................................................................................3
Educational System- An Alternative Solution...........................................................................6
Need- Based Funding System:...........................................................................................7
Need- Based Funding System and Aboriginal Studies- The Impacts........................................8
Recommendations:...................................................................................................................10
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................11
References:...............................................................................................................................12

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Introduction:
The following report draws from the previously done review of the culturally
appropriate learning process prevalent among the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal
Communities of the country Australia. The previous assignment had included diversified
approaches towards the issues that the aboriginal communities face. Therefore, the aim of the
following report is to point out the areas of concern and then strategically include an
educational support system that will justly solute the areas of concern. The report will start
with identifying the problem areas and then will gradually shift to defining the proper
educational approach that can be used to account the areas of concern and further will
identify ways that can be incorporated to include the educational system.
Concerned Areas:
It is perceived that the aboriginal people of the country Australia, and the Torres Strait
islanders, are faced with numerous issues. Primary of these are, the issues related to
communication. It is often seen that the aboriginals of the country, while coming across other
Australians, are often faced with situations of discomfort. This discomfort is often
misunderstood, especially by the Aboriginals. The discomfort is often understood as dislike
by the aboriginals (Ciechanowski, 2011). The communication problem is a major issue in
case of many other areas. For example, the aboriginals face a number of issues while going
for a health check. It is often seen that the indigenous people cannot make the health
professionals understand about the health problems that they are facing, and this gap in the
communication process, impacts upon their health and they are often deprived form the
proper health guidance and proper health advices. Limited health literacy is not confined only
to the indigenous people, but it is seen that they can communicate about their problems to the
health professionals. But in case of the aboriginals, there is a huge language gap. It is often

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seen that they cannot communicate regarding their health problems. This especially true for
people form the remote areas, like the Torres Strait islands. The cultural gap and the
communication gap is a huge problem and it is often seen that because of this the life
expectancy of the aboriginal people is shorter than other Australians. Another huge language
barrier is perceived for the aboriginal people and the Torres Strait islanders. As, the people
belong to different cultural set up, therefore, there is a huge difference in the forces of non-
verbal communication (Wright & Ricardi, 2015). The non- verbal communication process
perceived among the people belonging to aboriginal communities and the Torres Strait
Islanders, are seen to be quite different than the other inhabitants of the country. The concepts
of non- verbal communication are also different among these people.
Another major area of concern, as pointed out in the previous assignment, is the law
related to removal of the children from their native aboriginal communities. The previous
assignment had pointed out certain which needs immediate redressal. The previous
assignment had claimed that the aboriginal child health, aboriginal maternity and an ensured
future of the aboriginals were among the major points of focus in the previous assignment,
and claims were made that these areas must be redressed by the government with strategic
policies. The infant health and the health of the mothers are continuously deteriorating in
these areas, therefore, such a situation calls for immediate actions by the government. A
number of policies are governed within the country, which governs the emotional well-being
of the people of the country, also there are certain laws regarding the child protection, health
systems, and unemployment within the country (Cicarelli, 2012). Therefore, the government
must include the aboriginals and the Torres islanders within the same legislative structure.
There are also certain legislative structures that undertake the family fragmentation and the
social well- being of the people. Therefore, in an approach, a claim has been made in the
previous assignment to redress these areas all the same, and include the aboriginals and the

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Torres islanders within the legislative structure that is governed in the country. However,
there are some areas where the government has stepped in and the aboriginals and the
islanders are provided with certain amenities and are included within certain legal structure
(Couch, 2015). Howsoever, there are still many issues and areas where immediate actions are
imminent. The areas of alcohol abuse, drug dealing, racism and poverty are the areas where
the government of the country are working extensively.
Another area of concern that had been reviewed in the previous assignment was that,
the aboriginal youths and the youths of the island are involved into many self- destructive
systems. Many reports have suggested that the youth section of the inclusive areas are
involved into the substance use and there is also seen to be a rise in the tendency of
committing suicide among the youth of these places. There is a sense of hopelessness and
identity loss among the people of these places (Santow, 2006). Therefore, the government
must also look into these social affairs as well. The terms aboriginal is a development after
the factors of colonization and the sense of identity loss, which has been prevailing among
the people of these areas, are also a result of the colonization era. The Torres Strait islanders
are now regarded to be staying in an inclusive area because of the factors of colonization,
also the label of islander and aboriginals are terms that came with the colonization process
(Hunt, 2013). Therefore, the government of the country must look into these areas to
undertake a strategy that will help them to strategically manage these areas. The cultural gap
presented among the aboriginals as compared with the other Australians are also areas of
concern, which the government should take into consideration. The cultural practices are
vastly different which are presented among the aboriginal people of the country.
Therefore, as understood by reviewing these areas it can be stated that the presented
gaps among these areas can be redressed or attained through the incorporation of proper and
strategic educational system. As commented by many social theorists, education is a tool that

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is easy to incorporate within any social set up and the results or the outcomes of the
introduction of a new educational system is one of the best ways to address the social and
cultural gaps that re perceived within the society, especially among the aboriginals and the
islanders, and it is also believed that a strategic and proper educational system can have many
folded outcomes that can as well be incorporated to solute other areas of concern other than
the cultural and the communication gap of these areas.
Educational System- An Alternative Solution
In order to include a proper educational system to account the areas, it is important to
look into the certain facts regarding the educational level of the aboriginals of the country. It
is seen that about 60% of the aboriginal children are behind the other Australian children, in
terms of education, by the time they start Year One. 405 of the aboriginal children have a
chance of attaining higher education. Only 255 of the aboriginal children are tended to get an
employment as compared to the non- aboriginal children of the country. The statistics also
highlight that only 36% of the children staying in an inclusive area have the access to library.
Only 40% of the students with an age of school going, are attaining education from the
Northern Territory’s Schools. Only a 15% of aboriginal children are enrolled in the public
schools, and this figure is remaining a constant for more than ten years now (Walter &
Andersen, 2013). Unemployment rate for the aboriginal people attaining a higher study is
only 11%, and the percentage for the non- aboriginal students in the same course is only
3.5%. The reports also state that the only 24% of the schools in the remote areas have schools
up to year 12 and only 29% of the schools are there that go up till year 10. However, as per
the statistics, 57% of the aboriginal students go up to Queensland to complete their studies,
and a 97% of those students further opt for higher studies. The statistics have also shown that
retention rate of the students in the Government schools are higher than the public schools,
85.5% of the children retain in the government schools. However, the enrollment of the

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students into schools have increased for almost 62% as compared to previous years.
However, a striking point as viewed in the statistical report is that there is only 0.7% of
aboriginal teachers in the schools, that too, they are only included in the government schools
(Bodkin & Carlos, 2016). Therefore, as per the report it can be stated that education is one of
the most important aspects that is to be addressed is that the rate of education among the
aboriginals are quite less than the non- aboriginal students and hence, it can be said the
aboriginal students also lack a sense of awareness, regarding their emotional and social well-
beings.
Need- Based Funding System:
Many educational systems are incorporated by the schools of Australia, however, a
new system of education has recently been incorporate in many schools of the country. The
Need Based education system refers to the educational system that focus on the needs of the
students. The need based education system, as the name suggests, determines the needs of the
children. The approach was essentially used in the mainland of Australia. The theme of this
approach was to focus and point out the needs of the people and the and then accordingly
incorporate strategies that will justly address the needs of the students (Keegan, 2013). It is
viewed that different students have different needs which can be pointed out by this need
based approach. However, this particular approach can be included to reach to the aboriginal
students and the islanders. The aboriginal students and the youth of the Torres Strait islander
are much lagged behind than the students or the youth of the non- aboriginals. They face
many difficult situations all through their lives. The children do not get proper educational
guidance and the schools that are posited in the inclusive areas are not provided with the
infrastructural supports, neither are they provided with proper curriculum. The teachers’
strength in these schools are also seemingly low. Moreover, the children and the youth
section of these areas are also faced with certain social and economic situations (Dinham,

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2016). They lack the social well- being, and also most of the students belong from a poor
economic background, therefore, they do not get the provision to get included in the private
schools. Also, the gaps in the cultural and the communication systems are another barrier for
the aboriginal people, and according to the educationalists, this gap can only be addressed by
the Need Based Funding system, which is funded either by the Government of the country or
various Non- Governmental organizations.
Need- Based Funding System and Aboriginal Studies- The Impacts
Having identified and discussed the various problems that the people of Indigenous
and Islander backgrounds tend to face from the existing education system, a significant
alternative is deemed necessary to address the issues that have been enunciated. Therefore, a
need based funding approach towards education is proposed in order to effectively and
efficiently cater to the gaps in the present system. This structure calls for the bifurcation of
funding sources between governmental and non-governmental sources in order to provide a
viable delegation of responsibilities and activities based upon the specialized tasks each of
these entities tend to undertake in their respective spheres (Price, 2015). Here, funding could
be provided for by the entity which is best suited to tackle the need which requires the
attention of the proposed system to cover. For example, considering that the mentioned
groups have had to face unequal laws relating to their status as citizens of Australia, the
government – being a stakeholder in the system – is responsible for either amending or
repealing laws which may affect the status of Indigenous and Islander children in particular
and of people from these backgrounds in general. On the other hand, recognizing the
protracted work non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have done over the years at giving
a voice to these sections of the population, the NGOs would be tasked with developing
strategies and proposing them to all of the concerned stakeholders about how to address
questions pertaining to social justice and equity by giving a glimpse of Indigenous and

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Islander perspectives on these issues. This is, in brief, the general mechanics of the proposed
system. A more detailed explanation and elaboration of the workings of this follows below.
It is a fact that for any society, the notions of achieving social justice and equity for
each and every citizen of a country is an objective that is striven for by almost all of the
world’s nations. Often, it has been found that governments either don’t have the resources,
the time, the expertise or even the will to create dedicated infrastructures which are a pre-
requisite for taking the first step towards attaining the necessary amount of social justice and
equity. In its stead, NGOs have done a remarkable job in taking up the issues where
government initiatives have either failed to address or no initiatives have been taken up to
address them at all (Hardes, 2013). With regards to Australia, the job that NGOs have done is
commendable and their contribution in developing a consciousness of social inclusion have
enabled Indigenous and Islander peoples to assert their right to be considered an intrinsic part
of Australian socio-political discourse. These NGOs have over the years have amassed a rich
repository of perspectives of Indigenous and Islander peoples on issues that directly or
indirectly affects their existence and standard of living. Therefore, under the needs-based
funding system, it is important to include NGOs as a crucial stakeholder since they have
financial resources and the necessary manpower to aid in building up and developing the
proposed system. Another fact which also favours the inclusion of NGOs within the
framework of the needs-based funding system is its ability to represent and voice
perspectives by Indigenous and Islander peoples by virtue of working with them for many
decades, and that these perspectives are significant in order to create a system which directly
and qualitatively benefits the target populace (Castellano, 2014). It has to be kept in mind that
a large variety exists when it comes to culturally identifying all of the groups constituting
Indigenous and Island peoples, and it is only possible on the part of the NGOs to negotiate
with such cultural distinctions as they – by working among these cultural groups for a long

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time – are able to identify the desires and specific needs of each cultural group that requires
immediate attention and action. By being able to identify the needs which would necessitate
instant attention, and therefore, funding, NGOs can be a significant contributing in
developing relevant education plans which benefits children from these backgrounds by
voicing general needs while bearing in mind the specific cultural contexts of those needs that
respects their cultural traditions and preserves their dignity even as their education introduces
these children to a wider, modern world.
The second important stakeholder for the proposed needs-based funding strategy
involves the government. As the government holds sovereignty over the territory of the
Australian continent and its constituent islands, it has the power and ability to initiate and
pass legislations which may have a direct impact on the populations, especially those from
Indigenous and Islander backgrounds. As it has been mentioned while discussing the
problems and gaps that are extant in the current education system, in the part the government
had legislated laws which actively discriminated against persons belonging to Indigenous and
Islander backgrounds and in whose response the various NGOs began to appear to serve in
ways the government refused to do. With enormous financial resources and impeccable
organizing and data collecting abilities, the government would be in a position to augment the
ability of the NGOs at gathering the necessary statistical data and effectively allocating fiscal
resources at crucial areas whenever it is deemed necessary to do so (Digiacomo et al., 2013).
It is also by passing relevant and progressive legislation that the government can positively
contribute to the system by allowing more initiatives to be adopted and implemented by the
State that could potentially aid the contributions of the NGOs at addressing legal issues which
might arise while tackling and addressing the gifted children.

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Recommendations:
From the above discussion, it can be seen how the delegation of activities and funding
is a great way to develop the proposed system into a framework that is able to provide
maximum benefit to the target population without burdening the weight of budgeting and
funding on any one stakeholder. It also creates the provision where NGOs and the
government or related government agencies can come together and discuss about the
strategies that each entity could take at covering various issues that require attention, which
could be drastically improved by providing the necessary funding on providing education that
pertain to these issues. This would benefit the Indigenous and Islander peoples in a number of
ways. First, it would enable them to learn more about the world they are a part of and it
would acquaint them with the process, procedures and methods that are necessary to
understand their relative situation (Altman et al., 2013). Second, by enabling education with
the proper funding and with a focus on cultural nuance, children from the groups constituting
Indigenous and Islander backgrounds would have the ability to know about their own history,
traditions, culture and the contributions that they could provide for the country. Third, by
involving NGOs into the consultative and development process, a comprehensive education
plan could be obtained which would be effective at decreasing instances of delinquent
behavior among children and adolescents while bringing the overall rate of crimes being
committed by young people. Fourth, by involving the government, provisions for higher or
vocational education could be weaved seamlessly into the needs-based funding system
whereby the students would be able to obtain higher education at no extra costs (Martyn et
al., 2014).