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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-07 Daily Xml
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ABORIGINAL EDUCATION

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:25): She hopes. My question is to the Minister for Education. Could the minister outline how the state government is helping Aboriginal students in transition from the school environment to further education and the workforce?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:25): Can I thank the honourable member for her question and also acknowledge her powerful advocacy not only on behalf of young people in relation to their education but for her broader commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal Australia.

To support the achievement of the Closing the Gap targets, the state government recognises that there is a need to do things differently if we are to lift Aboriginal retention rates and make sure that they gain access to better career opportunities. There have been significant efforts in recent years by all school sectors and, in particular, by the SACE Board—the Senior Secondary Certificate, and the changes that we have made at that level—working in close collaboration with universities, to encourage more Aboriginal young people to complete their SACE and to seriously look to further study, whether that be at TAFE or university.

There has been a clear strategy for Aboriginal education aimed at working with schools to increase the number of students who stay on at year 10 to complete their SACE, and we are seeking to bridge that gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal SACE completion. The number of Aboriginal students completing the SACE has more than doubled in the past decade, from 69 in 2001 to 167 in 2010. That represents about 78.4 per cent of the Aboriginal students who were considered as potential completers.

So, when we do get young Aboriginal students into the state's TAFE system, we have a very good chance of them completing their SACE. This is the highest figure ever for South Australia, and it represents, I think, an exciting opportunity for the future, when we imagine all these young Aboriginal people going into higher education courses, getting those qualifications and taking their rightful place in the leadership of our community. This indicates that we have made substantial progress in school retention rates and SACE completion, but there are significant gaps that still remain between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and I remain committed to narrowing that gap.

I want to speak about a range of strategies which we have adopted and which have helped us get those results. One of them is the Keeping Them on Track initiative, which provides guidelines for teachers, parents and guardians on how to help students to engage with their SACE and transition from school into effective pathways. Another initiative is the South Australian Aboriginal Sports Training Academy, which has expanded from two schools in 2005 to 11 schools in 2011. Finally, the Growing Your Future program is run through the Northern Region Workabout Centre and provides years 8 to 11 students from across the region with the opportunity to study units towards a Certificate II in Horticulture, specialising in landscaping, while teaching them valuable skills in the transition from school to work.

We know that for many young people imagining themselves being successful is a very important part of being successful. We know that the road to achieving anything in life can be bumpy, and many of these young Aboriginal people have not had members of their family who have completed that journey, so mentors are absolutely crucial, and support along the way is absolutely crucial. We understand that, and that is why our programs are focusing on the special needs of Aboriginal young people. The programs also help Aboriginal people to see the employment pathway they are working towards and be able to give them experience and a taste of that work, so they can see what the goal is at the end of their training.

This week, students have undertaken their final lessons in the program I mentioned before. Some students will go on to complete certificate II next term. The program has been so successful that a new group of students will engage in Growing Your Future from next term. This program, and the others engaged in by the various agencies that are working together in this endeavour, are ones to be proud of. There is much more work to be done, but we have made a very important start.

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