Partnerships, Pathways and Policies- Improving Indigenous Education Outcomes

The report includes an overview of the 2006 Indigenous higher education conference, Education Led Recovery of Indigenous Capacity – Reshaping the Policy Agenda held in Perth in September 2006. The 2006 conference was a direct response to the major priority coming from the 2005 conference: to provide an integrated policy approach for addressing systemic change aimed at significantly reducing Indigenous education disadvantage across all educational sectors.

The IHEAC is committed to a national, evidence-based approach to the development of policies and programmes for Indigenous higher education by identifying successful programmes across education sectors and ascertaining a set of essential key ingredients for helping to deliver positive educational outcomes to Indigenous people.

The key priorities suggested by IHEAC for consideration by governments, universities, Vice-Chancellors and other leaders of universities, education research centres and agencies as a way forward for constructing a national and institutional Indigenous education policy include.:

1. An investigation of the financial circumstances of Indigenous students and particularly an assessment of the relationship between income levels and retention and success of Indigenous Students undertaking tertiary studies.
2.  Research into the experience of first year Indigenous students undertaking tertiary studies.
3.  Stronger leadership from Vice-Chancellors.
4.  A National higher education website.
5.  Innovative ideas for the development of new incentive mechanisms for universities associated with targets for Indigenous recruitment, retention and graduation.
6.  Training and development for new teachers and existing teachers to improve their understanding of Indigenous education issues.
7.  Specialised leadership training for future generations of Indigenous academics.
8.  Financial support for the creation and introduction of new mentoring schemes for Indigenous students and staff.
9.  Funding for a national research agenda.
10. Development and promotion of exemplars to encourage and support greater community participation in university life and decision-making.

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