MEDIA RELEASE

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION STRATEGIC INITIATIVES PROGRAMME

11 May 2004 MINBUD 36/04

The Australian Government will provide $641.6 million over 2005-2008 under the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP). More than $513 million will be provided to continue supplementary recurrent assistance for Indigenous students, and $128.1 million for on-going and new strategic projects to further accelerate the educational outcomes of Indigenous Australians.

This funding is an increase of 16% over the current quadrennium.

Supplementary Recurrent Assistance

Supplementary funding will continue to be paid for Indigenous students to government and non-government education providers across the preschool, school and vocational education and training sectors in remote, provincial/rural and metropolitan areas.

The $513.5 million funding for 2005-2008 is an increase of 20.2% over the 2001-2004 funding provision. State and Territory estimated allocations are:

* SRA estimates are based on 2002 enrolments for schools and 2003 enrolments for pre-schools and VET providers which were used to project growth for 2005-2008.

Funding is provided on a per capita basis. Students classified as being in remote locations are funded at twice the rate of students in non-remote locations. The existing definition for determining remoteness will continue into the next quadrennium. However, as foreshadowed in the current IESIP guidelines, the remoteness boundaries will be updated based on the 2001 ABS Census. The current classifications rely on the 1996 Census data.

Consistent with the Government’s principle of maintaining funding to schools, those education and training providers moving from a remote to non-remote classification in 2005 will have their IESIP recurrent per capita funding entitlement maintained at 2004 rates.

The Coalition Government is committed to improving mainstream service provision for Indigenous Australians in metropolitan areas, thus enabling Indigenous-specific funding to be better targeted to those students at greatest disadvantage. Per capita supplementary recurrent assistance rates for Indigenous students attending schools or vocational education and training (VET) in state capital cities and Canberra will be maintained at 2004 levels.

Strategic Initiatives

During 2001-2004 the Australian Government is funding significant national initiatives and special projects to support and improve the education outcomes of Indigenous students. These include the $74.5 million National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (NIELNS), English as a Second Language – Indigenous Language Speaking Students, Scaffolding Literacy pilots, Indigenous Education Consultative Bodies and Indigenous Support Units, Croc Festivals, and Mentoring Pilots.

Over 2005-2008, the Government will continue this funding ($128.1 million) with an emphasis on Indigenous students in remote areas. New initiatives will be directed towards promoting systemic change and developing flexible, whole-of-government approaches to education delivery - for example through the Council of Australian Government trials.

NIELNS will be reoriented by strengthening the application of ‘what works’, particularly around the practices and skills of teachers and their support staff, preparing young Indigenous children for formal schooling, and helping re-engage and retain more Indigenous students to Year 12 or its VET equivalent.

Other projects will progress coalitions with school principals to champion Indigenous education in their schools and communities by setting measurable goals for improvements in the literacy levels and retention rates of Indigenous students, and extending the Scaffolding Literacy approach in remote areas to transform the literacy achievements of Indigenous students.

The structured Scaffolding approach to teaching literacy is a new flagship project that has proven to be especially effective with Indigenous students in remote areas. The approach has demonstrated outstanding improvements in learning outcomes for Indigenous students. The Australian Government will provide $14 million over 2005-2008, and will work in partnership with education providers to entrench the Scaffolding Literacy approach.

The Coalition Government is committed to building the effectiveness of teachers and their support staff, and working with education providers to enable them to significantly improve the literacy and numeracy achievement levels of Indigenous students.

Media Contacts:
Dr Nelson’s Office: Ross Hampton 0419 484 095
Dept of Education, Science & Training: Virginia Cook 0412 971 323

Note: The information in this media release has been previously announced on 5 April 2004.

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