Current Status of Indigenous Education

Current Learning

At Coleambally Central School, we are continuously expanding our First Nations education approaches and opportunities.

MOBS is a program tailored to First Nations students, to help them connect with their culture, country and people.

National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity to educate and explore the road to reconciliation in Australia.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to immerse students in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture, and to celebrate the contributions and achievements of First Nations people.

Reconciliation Week

"At its heart, reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians" (Reconciliation Australia, 2024).

A perspective I have found to be quite common amongst Non-Indigenous teaching students is not necessarily that we do not want to teach about First Nations history and culture, but that we are afraid to get it wrong. In conversations with university students, from similar backgrounds to myself, I have noticed in so many cases, we want our students to learn, but we don't want to teach them the wrong thing and don't know where to start. If you are a Non-Indigenous teacher, and feeling this same uneasy guilt, that is not a bad thing. It means you care. While we would love to include Aboriginal elders and educators as much as possible, it's not always an option. Whilst the percentage of First Nations students within our school community is significantly above average, a large percentage of our students are also Non-Indigenous students. These students also have a right to First Nations education, along with that of their own culture.

We take National Reconciliation Week as an opportunity to grow from our history as a Nation together, to reconcile our past. In doing so, this should include a celebration of all cultures in our classrooms and school community. National Reconciliation Week is about acknowledging our flawed history as a Nation and becoming stronger as we learn from our mistakes. There will be difficult conversations and questions, but in teaching these lessons across all stages, students will leave our school with a strong cultural awareness, and acceptance. They will be the people who are part of our National decision-making, and will take this learning into account when making those choices.

To read more about reconciliation: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/reconciliation/what-is-reconciliation/

NRW2024 Theme: Now More Than EverNational Reconciliation Week’s theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue.

National NAIDOC Week

In the first week of July each year, Australia celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of First Nations people in NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week.

This is a great educational opportunity for all students, and the wider community, to understand and celebrate First Nations culture history, and achievements. During this week, we work with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders and community members to immerse our students and staff in First Nations culture. NAIDOC week builds an appreciation and respect for First Nations people, culture, history and achievement, which is extended within Key Learning Areas throughout the term, to ensure First Nations education is continued, not just in NAIDOC Week.

Below are some images from NAIDOC Week workshops at Coleambally Central School in 2024. These include our NAIDOC Week assembly, smoking ceremony, friendship bracelet weaving workshop, First Nations art techniques workshop, cultural sports and games, and 'My Mob's Story' - storytelling workshop.

Students throughly enjoy the immersion of culture into their favourite subject areas, and our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students enjoyed celebrating and sharing their culture with all of their peers.

What about the rest of the year?

As a school we have identified that we have worked well to ensure NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week are taught authentically, and given the respect and celebration they deserve, and the next step to approach First Nations education is within our Key Learning Areas (KLAs). Sometimes this will mean bringing First Nations' culture into the classroom, and other times it will mean bringing the classroom into First Nations culture.

Some starting points include:

Acknowledging country

Running lessons outdoors on country
Utilising Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander authors, artists, and other high achievers as references
Seeking self-education, research, and immersion opportunities in First Nations, particularly Wiradjuri culture.

Image: Photograph of the student-painted mural on the exterior of Room 9 at Coleambally Central School, titled 'Our Land Before Us'. The mural was designed and painted by students of Coleambally Central School, taking inspiration from Wiradjuri culture. It depicts native animals that have always lived, and still live in the Coleambally region, and hand prints of students, who now live on the land. It indicates an acknowledgment of respecting and acknowledging the history of the land we live and work on as we move forward together. (Briony Fattore, 2024).

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