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assimilation returns « Previous | |Next »
March 17, 2008

In the Menzies Research Centre’s report on Aboriginal education written by Gary Johns of the Bennelong Society entitled Aboriginal Education: Remote Schools and the Real Economy (2006) Johns advocates that we should remove Aboriginal culture from the school curriculum because it prevents Aboriginal children from progressing in their education.The report argues that:

Western education cannot and should not preserve Aboriginal culture….Too often educators continue to defer to Aboriginal culture without recognising that Aboriginal culture is the problem. Can a culture that is pre-literate and pre-numerate survive in an education system that is meant to make children literate and numerate? Can a welfare culture that has no work ethic be in a position to prepare its children for school?

The report was endorsed by Julie Bishop, the federal Education Minister, in the previous Howard Government.

Johns can say that in the light of this kind of visual work? Or hold that this enhances the principles of liberty, free speech, competitive enterprise, limited government and democracy that the Menzies Research Centre stands for?

| Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at 11:15 PM | | Comments (3)
Comments

Comments

that's a very narrow understanding of literacy and numeracy.

Let's face it, Aboriginal "culture" has been killed. There are only remnants, reminders of a system which flourished within the social and physical environment for which it was created/evolved. We can't wipe out Aboriginal people's traditional memories and philosophies- they're based on exactly the same human thought processes and feelings that gave rise to our European style of writing, counting and living our lives. I think all we can do is offer the right sort of tools, and provide "supercharged" opportunities to join in the aspects of European style living that we have made dominant in Australia. Unfortunately it is impossible to offer a humane method of living "outside" the system- the system just "is". I'm sure that most Aboriginal adults see literacy and numeracy as extremely useful, but it's very hard to be skilled enough yourself to convey this to your kids, especially under difficult conditions. We need to keep trying, as "generic" Australians to assist others to live within or happily alongside our system- it's an unavoidable obligation. Individuals of all colours need to gain the insights that allow them to live comfortably together without shared disadvantage. Who saw the TV doco about the family of Sudanese refugees who are living in the country community of Dorrigo, NSW? It's a bunch of individuals working together to help new arrivals fit in best in Australian society so that everyone has a decent life. Revolutionary idea- perhaps some Aboriginal Aussie families might like to pair up with some other (maybe Aboriginal) Aussies to see what they can make of it? And don't be boring and repetitive by calling me a naive pacificist as it hasn't changed me for 50 years!

Lyn,
yeah Johns and the Bennelong Society crowd cannot see that creating art is being part of the (global) economy and is work. He seems to be blind about the indigenous art market.