Education should be based on the principles of equality and access for most people. In Western schooling, the priority is to increase the participation in the learning process of those groups that used to be considered marginalised. It is evident that there is a need to create conditions to improve Aboriginal learning outcomes. Initiatives often arise to bridge the gap between indigenous students and their non-indigenous peers. Countries like Australia and Canada believe that bridging the gap should be a priority in educational policy. The lagging behind on all educational indicators and the continued marginalization of students are two critical problems Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face. Creating a more inclusive environment for Indigenous peoples may be a possible way to address these challenges.
Australian Indigenous students have low literacy levels, attendance, and mastery of other vital skills. This is because indigenous peoples are less financially and socially advantaged. However, since this problem has long been a part of the education agenda, many different projects have already been created to bridge this gap (Keddie et al., 2013). For example, a course on cultural integration has been included in curricula, allowing Australian youth to learn about the history of indigenous people (Keddie et al., 2013). There are also initiatives that aim to ensure that Aboriginal people are represented. The strategy is to increase the number of indigenous teachers and redress the imbalance in the ethnic composition of teachers (Keddie et al., 2013). Aboriginal students will have mentors who can serve as role models for their future behaviour.
The biased attitude from teachers and bullying from classmates and high school students affect the children’s psyche in a very negative way. Discrimination and racism lead to sad consequences, destroying the lives and health of people (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016). That is why schools should be a space free from the manifestation of these two phenomena. Education is the best tool for combating racism and discrimination and for building inclusive societies (Shay, 2018). From a young age, children can and should be taught equality, respect, and tolerance. Because there is still an achievement gap between Native and non-Native students, measures to support inclusion are needed (Shay, 2018). Reconciling the needs of students from different backgrounds seems to be a major challenge.
Education is seen as one of the most effective ways to overcome poverty. Moreover, indigenous ancestry is known to be a factor that largely determines educational disadvantage (Keddie et al., 2013). Therefore, the importance of ensuring that marginalised groups have access to it cannot be underestimated (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016). Developing a sense of pride in belonging to other indigenous communities can also be a way to break down cultural barriers. Racial inequalities continue to silence the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and therefore opportunities for free expression must be provided (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016). This is all the more so since addressing Indigenous issues is unthinkable without their participation.
An important circumstance is that inclusive play spaces must be provided for young students. Building playgrounds without considering the needs of children with unique characteristics can lead to their marginalization (Ndhlovu & Varea, 2018). Play spaces should not in any way constrain aboriginal children in their demands for socialisation with other children. Marginalization in childhood does not disappear as people grow older, and its consequences only become more severe from year to year (Keddie et al., 2013). Indigenous Australians are more likely to be unemployed and have poorer mental and physical health than non-indigenous people (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016). These effects are undoubtedly the result of long-standing discriminatory policies against indigenous Australians.
The rejection of protectionist policies in education and the adoption of a new assimilationist strategy made possible significant improvements for Aboriginal students. Indigenous values began to be incorporated into the creation of educational programs (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016). The goal of education is to produce a literate generation that is open-minded and respectful of other cultures. Therefore, without careful attention to Aboriginal culture and history, people will not be able to understand what Australia is really like (Bodkin-Andrews & Carlson, 2016). Consequently, it will not be possible to bring up a generation that is alien to racism, meaning that the problem will remain, which should not be allowed to happen.
The way the curriculum is structured also affects students’ absorption of specific values. Modern curricula still reflect the worldview of the exclusively dominant culture, that is, white culture (Rahman, 2013). In this way, indigenous knowledge and understanding are ignored. The importance of this problem is that curriculum content directly shapes students’ thinking (Rahman, 2013). Covertly, students were taught that the Indigenous way of life is one that is less deserving of attention and less acceptable. Before the advent of inclusive education strategies, students were required to give up their native speech style (Rahman, 2013). It was the only way to assimilate and elevate social status, completely destroying one’s own identity. The consequence of this policy was the destruction of students’ cultural individualism.
Some researchers are convinced that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ challenges to overcome are greatly hindered by cultural reductionism. This means that despite attempts to bridge the gap, the existence of the two binaries will persist (Keddie et al., 2013). One culture, that is, the white one, maintains and reinforces its dominant position. It is the representatives of the non-white population who sanction the emergence of new inclusive programs. Native students, on the other hand, are left to accept the new arrangements, and their opinions are less taken into account. In other words, efforts to close the gap can lead to the opposite of the desired outcome (Keddie et al., 2013). However, it should be remembered that to express interests, one does not have to be a direct participant in the group (Keddie et al., 2013). It is unacceptable for a situation to arise in which the entire responsibility for representation is vested in the indigenous population.
It should be borne in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to providing non-racist education. The context is vital because as circumstances change, some previously successful initiatives will no longer be effective. Moreover, racism is a multidimensional phenomenon that is constantly being modified. It should not be expected that people can quickly get rid of something that has existed for centuries and permeated most social institutions. It is only by continually seeking new ways to solve the challenges faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students that progress can be made. Everyone whose work is in one way or another related to the fight against racism should keep this in mind.
References
Bodkin-Andrews, G., & Carlson, B. (2016). The legacy of racism and Indigenous Australian identity within education. Race Ethnicity and Education, 19(4), 784-807. Web.
Keddie, A., Gowlett, C., Mills, M., Monk, S., & Renshaw, P. (2013). Beyond culturalism: Addressing issues of Indigenous disadvantage through schooling. The Australian Educational Researcher, 40, 91–108. Web.
Ndhlovu, S., & Varea, V. (2018). Primary school playgrounds as spaces of inclusion/exclusion in New South Wales, Australia. International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 46(5), 494-505. Web.
Rahman, K. (2013). Belonging and learning to belong in school: the implications of the hidden curriculum for indigenous students. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 34(5), 660-672. Web.
Shay, M. (2018). More than cultural celebrations Indigenous identities in school settings. In T. Ferfolja, C. J. Diaz & J. Ullman (Eds.). Understanding sociological theory for educational research, (pp. 102-115). Cambridge University Press.