History Of Indigenous People In Education

Colonial history and a range of social and educational policies have shaped the ways Indigenous peoples in Australia experience education and are positioned in educational discourses. Uncovering the history that has impacted on Indigenous families and communities is important, because not only does it tell us why Indigenous people are disadvantaged, but it also helps us to possibly foresee the changes to policies that need to occur. This essay discusses how history has shaped current experiences for Indigenous families and communities in education, focusing in particular on first, significant episodes in history, second policy constructions affecting Indigenous students, third my personal understanding and fourth, a recommendation for an improved education system. Overall, it is argued through the literature that the ways in which Indigenous people are viewed and positioned today in education has echoes in history.

Firstly, the following significant episodes illustrates the historical strains between difference and sameness in relation to race relations and Indigenous education in Australia. According to historian Haebich (2008), during the 19th and 20th centuries white ways of thinking, acting, interacting, knowing and leading were believed to be superior. Through the 19th century and the early years of Federation, Indigenous peoples were viewed as a condemned race (McGregor, 1997) and regularly detached from their traditional lands (Haebich, 2008). Meanwhile the White Australia Policy, founded in 1901 (Palfreeman, 1967), deliberately omitted non-White immigration. But as Haebich (2008) points out, this race-based model of White Australia became progressively unsustainable from the late 1940s, and consequently, had to move asi...

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... cause Indigenous students to be deficit, and brought to the surface possibilities for working towards greater educational success and fairness for Indigenous students through altering aspects of the education system, which cause oppression and uphold a perception that students external of the norm are in need of correction. The possibilities for change presented include a commitment to listening to establish an ethics of otherness, and a commitment to including difference as a strength. Overall, through the literature it was found that historic events and policies shaped Indigenous Australians experience in education through white dominance. White policies have historically attempted to alter the world of Indigenous children; thus, future policies should see to Indigenous children’s needs more intently so there is fairness amongst education and all areas of life.