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Indigenous Education Strategies in Higher Education 2001-2003

Northern Territory University

• Objectives
• Consultative Mechanisms
• Current, Continuing and New Activities
• Performance and Review
• Report on Expenditure
• Contact

Objectives

The Northern Territory University aims to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have access to further knowledge and skills in accordance with their aspirations.

The University is committed to strengthening relevant courses with significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and involving Aboriginal people in the decision-making processes of the University. The University accepts a greater responsibility, given the special circumstances of its demographic context, to increase the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people participating in its courses and in employment at NTU. Aboriginal people make up approximately 30% of the Northern Territory’s population and the University is in a unique position to take a leading role in the provision of educational services to Indigenous Australians.

The vision of the University is to have its teaching and training profile reflect the professional, vocational, social and intellectual needs of Indigenous Australians and to have its research profile enhanced by the University’s expertise in issues relating to Indigenous people.

In its broad approach, the University is committed to striving for improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff through:

• teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in both mainstream and specially constructed programs;
• teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander skills and culture to all its staff and students;
• promoting the goals of Reconciliation;
• fostering professional development of Indigenous Staff; and
• employment of qualified Indigenous academic and academic support staff.

The Indigenous Education Strategy is one of the key university-wide strategies identified in Strategic Directions, the University’s strategic plan.

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Consultative Mechanisms

The composition of the University Council ensures that at least one member represents the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. In 1992 the Council established the Aboriginal Advisory Committee with the following terms of reference:

1. To advise the University Council on matters relating to Aboriginal education and participation in the University

2. Appraise and provide informed comment on all proposed research and academic courses relating to Aborigines and Aboriginal culture.

3. Liaise with the NT Aboriginal Education Consultative Group on the role of NTU in further higher education for Aborigines.

4. Advise on existing and proposed Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (FATSIS) courses for Aborigines.

5. Investigate and report on any matters directly related to the role of FATSIS in Aboriginal communities.

The Indigenous member of Council chairs the committee and there are seven representatives from Aboriginal communities, groups and organisations. The Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies is represented on all of the University’s major planning and academic committees while the University’s Ethics Committee has Indigenous representation to ensure that research in Indigenous contexts follows appropriate protocols.

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Current, Continuing and New Activities

Tabulated below are goals and planned outcomes, activities to achieve goals and evaluation measures of the success of activities to be implemented.

Major achievements include:

• The continuing operation of the Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies which offers courses from pre-degree through Bachelors to Masters and Doctoral programs in Aboriginal education, Aboriginal studies and Resource Management.
• The operation and outcomes of the Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management, one of only six Indigenous Higher Education Centres
• The inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in the curriculum of a wide range of degree programs run across the University
• The operation by FATSIS of a Work for the Dole program, the only such program in Australia to offer formal training.
• The operation of a targeted scholarship scheme ­ the Morning Star Scholarship ­ available to Indigenous students undertaking degree studies.

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Performance and Review

The table below shows trend data in Lin Martin indicators of access, participation, retention and success for Indigenous students at NTU.

Performance in success has remained relatively constant over recent years while performance in retention has trended upwards with the highest value for retention being recorded in 2000. After an increase in values in access and participation values for these indicators have decreased in 2000 possibly as a result of negative publicity associated with the review of FATSIS undertaken in the latter part of 1999. In 1999 the University undertook a comprehensive review of the Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and Indigenous education, training and research at NTU. The following recommendations of the review relating to the University’s broad direction in Indigenous Education are being adopted:

• That the University take steps to maintain and focus the Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, building its activities around the academic development of knowledge about Indigenous history, language and culture, and the activities of the Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management, including associated VET level courses such as those in the Resource Management area.
• That FATSIS become a source of Indigenous studies related electives and common unit options for incorporation in to degree programs across the University. This could include the areas of cultural studies, health science, education, social work, psychology, law, architecture, hospitality, tourism and Indigenous tourism, librarianship, communication studies, business/management/organisation behaviour, finance/accounting (including attention to Indigenous and non profit organisations) and resource management. The University Council should ensure that relevant academic programs are opened up to such Indigenous related electives or common units.
• That the newly appointed Ranger Chair of Aboriginal Studies take a leadership role in the development of the Faculty’s academic programs and particularly in the reaccredidation of the Bachelor of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies award.
• That the Higher Education Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support funds be placed under the responsibility of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Higher Education and Research), with a mandate to replicate throughout the University the conditions which make the Law support program successful.
• That CINCRM be co-located with FATSIS to consolidate the FATSIS area as a site of Indigenous peoples and knowledge and to facilitate interaction between students, teachers and researchers.

Report on Expenditure

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Contact

Associate Professor Isaac Brown
Dean
Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Tel: (08) 8946 6440
Fax: (08) 8946 6345
Email: isaac.brown@ntu.edu.au

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