Media Release

MORE MUST BE DONE TO IMPROVE INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: FIFTH DISCUSSION PAPER RELEASED

(UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 8AM 6 AUGUST)

5 August, 2002 MIN 139/02

Indigenous Australians experience disadvantage in many elements of their lives and face particular challenges in relation to education. These challenges, particularly as they relate to university study, are the focus of a dedicated monograph that has been prepared specifically to inform the Review of Higher Education.

The paper, Achieving Equitable and Appropriate Outcomes: Indigenous Australians in Higher Education, outlines the performance of the higher education sector in relation to the participation of Indigenous Australians, considers the effectiveness of the range of existing initiatives and offers practical proposals to further improve the outcomes of Indigenous people in higher education. These build on suggestions contained in submissions previously provided to the Review. The options do not represent Government policy.

It is important that we maintain a commitment to addressing educational inequities, not just in higher education but across the entire education system.

This monograph demonstrates that there has been some improvement in educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians over the past decade, including the fact that the number of Indigenous students enrolled in bachelor degree courses were at their highest point ever in 2001.

However, their access to, and success in higher education, is not equal to that for other Australians.

Indigenous Australians who do gain access to higher education find themselves over-represented in sub-bachelor courses, and experience lower progress and completion rates than their non-Indigenous peers.

Further discussion papers will be issued in the coming weeks focusing on governance and workplace relations and the interface between higher education and vocational education and training.

A dedicated Secretariat within my Department has been working on the Review and a Reference Group has been assisting to guide me through the issues raised during the consultation process.

The Review will conclude towards the end of the year with a forum to consider all the issues raised and the subsequent development of a package of policy measures for consideration by Government.

Achieving Equitable and Appropriate Outcomes, together with previous discussion papers can be accessed through the Department of Education, Science and Training website at www.dest.gov.au/crossroads.

A summary of the issues raised in the monograph is attached.

Copies of the full report are also available by contacting my Canberra Office on 02 6277 7460.

• Although there has been some improvement in educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians over the last decade, their access to, and success in higher education is not equal to that for all Australians.
• The number of Indigenous students commencing higher education doubled between 1989 and 2001. However, with Indigenous Australians comprising 1.9 percent of the Australian population, but only 1.5 per cent of commencing students, they remain under-represented in higher education.
• The number of Indigenous people employed within higher education has increased between 1996 and 2001, although they remain under-represented comprising only 0.7 per cent of all staff.
• Indigenous people are participating in higher education, they are studying at higher levels than a decade ago and they are completing degrees and gaining employment along with other Australian graduates. However, the number of Indigenous people achieving success is well short of the level envisaged thirteen years ago.
• Higher education for Indigenous Australians cannot be seen in isolation. A snapshot of education overall in 2001 indicates that for many Indigenous people, the path through to Year 12 and on to achieving qualifications in vocational education and training is not easy.
• The apparent retention rate from Year 10 to Year 12 for Indigenous students, while showing improvement over previous years, is still only 43.6 per cent compared with a corresponding apparent retention rate for non-Indigenous students of 76.2 per cent.
• A relatively high proportion of Indigenous people study in vocational education and training (VET). In 2001, they comprised 3.3 per cent of total students at the vocational level. Only 13 per cent of Indigenous VET students were studying at the Australian Qualification Framework Certificate IV level or above in 2000, compared with 21 per cent of all VET students.
• In higher education in 2001, there were 7,342 Indigenous students, comprising 1.2 per cent of domestic students in the higher education sector.
• In general, Indigenous students are older than non-Indigenous students and are more likely to come from rural and isolated parts of Australia. Indigenous students are more likely to enter higher education through special entry schemes and to enrol in bridging courses or diploma courses than in bachelor or postgraduate courses.

 

Presently, the Commonwealth Government supports increased access to higher education for Indigenous people through a number of programmes and initiatives, including the:

• Indigenous Support Funding programme (ISF);
• Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ATAS);
• introduction of ‘enabling’ courses;
• Away-from-base (AFB) funding via the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP)
• Indigenous Research Development (IRD) grants and the Research Cadetship – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (RC-ATSI) offered via the Australian Research Council;
• establishment of six Indigenous Higher Education Centres;
• support for the development of the Indigenous On-Line Network;
• Aboriginal Study Assistance Scheme (ABSTUDY);
• Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and
• National Indigenous Cadetships for undergraduates offered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).

 

• There were 1,750 commencing Indigenous students in higher education in 1989. By 1992, this number had increased by 54 per cent to 2,691 commencing students. The increasing trend in numbers and proportions of Indigenous commencing students continued steadily for the next three years, and then less steadily through to 1999. In 2000, there was a significant decrease in the number and proportion of Indigenous commencing students, which steadied in 2001 at 3,565 students or 1.5 per cent of the domestic higher education commencing student population.
• There has been an 11.4 per cent increase in the proportion of Indigenous students studying at bachelor level or higher between 1992 and 2001. The decrease of 9.3 per cent at other undergraduate award levels (that is diplomas, advanced diplomas and other awards) is greater than the decrease for domestic students at this level over the same time and may indicate a transfer of students from this level to bachelor level.

 

• Current levels of Indigenous participation in higher education suggest that more could be done by the Commonwealth and universities to enable Indigenous students to meet their aspirations.
• Numbers of Indigenous award course completions have increased over the decade, peaking in 1998 then declining in 1999.
• The decrease in numbers of Indigenous award course completions between 1998 and 2001 was 116, of which 82 were at diploma level and only two at the degree level. It is possible, therefore, that the decrease in completions reflects, to some extent, the shift of students from studying for other undergraduate awards (that is diplomas) to degrees, with courses at the latter level taking more time to complete.
• In 2001, the national progress rate for Indigenous students was 68 per cent compared with a progress rate for non-Indigenous students of 87 per cent.
• Data indicate that for those Indigenous students who do complete their higher education award, employment prospects are good.
• While there are positive employment prospects for the majority of Indigenous graduates, data indicate that relatively few Indigenous people are being employed in the higher education sector itself.

 

• In 2001, 45 per cent of domestic students entered higher education institutions to undertake studies at bachelor level or below on the basis of satisfactory completion of the final year of secondary school and 23 per cent on the basis of a complete or incomplete higher education course. In contrast, only 11 per cent of Indigenous students were reported as entering higher education on the basis of satisfactory completion of the final year of secondary school and 14 per cent on the basis of a complete or incomplete higher education course.
• It is recognised that geographical isolation contributes to educational disadvantage. In 2001, approximately 30 per cent of Indigenous higher education students were from rural areas, with an additional 15 per cent from isolated areas.
• It is also recognised that low socio-economic status (SES) background contributes to educational disadvantage. In 2001, some 32 per cent of Indigenous students were identified as having low SES backgrounds.
• A number of Indigenous educators have raised a related concern over recent years that changes to ABSTUDY and HECS, which aim to provide support for students, may have made some individuals less inclined to participate in education.

 

• Despite the poor overall performance of the higher education sector regarding Indigenous education, there are many success stories in Indigenous higher education and many examples of good practice.
  
• Indigenous educators have a practical knowledge of how Indigenous performance can be improved. Possibly, more could be done to encourage the engagement of Indigenous educators in resolving inequities in higher education.
• In terms of overcoming cultural isolation and racism, submissions have proposed extended support through the promotion of higher education to Indigenous school students, progression of Indigenous issues and knowledge across the broader institution and involvement in both mainstream and Indigenous-specific teaching.
• Some argue that institutions and government agencies should be doing more to ensure all students have a very clear understanding of their responsibilities when accepting financial support available to them.
• A number of institutions report that the success of their enabling courses can partly be attributed to having in place a system of prior assessment of prospective students to ensure that only those considered as having a reasonable chance of success are admitted.
• Another strategy that some institutions have found successful is to award a certificate of attainment to successful students that guarantees entry to award level courses.
• It is possible that improved enabling course performance could be achieved through a funding formula that rewards course performance.
• Consideration might also be given to removing enabling allocations from operating grants and paying universities for their enabling students under contract.
• Scholarships continue to be seen as a positive incentive, although the effectiveness of such awards would directly relate to their provision to students showing good previous performance and clear aspirations. Government bodies, industrial and professional organisations and higher education institutions might consider funding scholarships for Indigenous students with these qualities.
• A further encouragement for students with high potential might be to increase opportunities for international exchange.
• Consideration might be given to forming further partnerships between the Commonwealth, higher education institutions and professional organisations, which offer HECS exempt places, cadetships, and/or scholarships in professional fields for Indigenous students who have shown commitment and good performance.
• Consideration might also be given to promotion campaigns that use Indigenous ‘champions’ from identified professions who work within Indigenous communities.
• It may be possible for the Government to identify a funding source and earmark identified funds for seeding the design and initial delivery of courses to be directed specifically at Indigenous students or Indigenous communities.

A number of possible options have been raised in relation to the issues covered in this paper. While not an exhaustive list, these questions have been included for consideration and discussion:

• How best can governments and higher education institutions improve communications with Indigenous educators and researchers to develop practical strategies to improve Indigenous higher education outcomes?
• How best can higher education institutions promote an understanding of Indigenous issues and understandings amongst students and staff?
• How best can governments and higher education institutions promote a full understanding of educational financial assistance and its related responsibilities to students?
• How best can governments and higher education institutions work together to improve the effectiveness of government funded programmes?
• Should higher education institutions increase pre-tertiary activities, encouraging school students to see the value of higher education and strengthening the pathways between the schools, vocational education and training and higher education?
• How best can governments and higher education institutions support the ‘non-traditional’ design and delivery of courses so that Indigenous individuals’ and communities’ particular needs are more appropriately met?
• Would improving national recognition of accredited VET courses as prior qualifications for entry into higher education increase the participation of Indigenous Australians in higher education?
• How can institutions achieve an increase in successful participation by Indigenous people in mainstream education courses leading to professional qualifications?
• How can governments and higher education institutions assist the work of Indigenous research organisations so that they can be strong networks of support for their members?
• How best can governments, higher education institutions and professional bodies support increased numbers of research students to successfully graduate and gain improved opportunities for employment?

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