advocates that each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community should decide this matter for educational institutions in their area. Congress recommends that many more resources be made available to support the learning and teaching of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and to strengthen existing language and cultural maintenance programs. Furthermore, the availability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language courses at the higher education level is extremely limited at present. Congress supports the recommendations of the of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs report Our Land: Our Languages: Language Learning in Indigenous Communities. CONCLUSION Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have always educated our children to participate in the cultural life of our communities and cultures, and to obtain the necessary skills to provide for themselves and their families. The institution of colonialism brought with it a requirement that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children attend schools with an assimilationist agenda. At their worst, these schools had poor resources and facilitated the removal of children from their families. With this background, it is little wonder that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have had negative experiences with the education system. More positively, the Australian Government’s endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as its promotion of the Review of School Funding, provides hope that policy makers are now willing to devise an educational system that meets the needs of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities whether they are in mainstream metropolitan schools or in remote – locations where Aboriginal Peoples continue to live on their traditional lands. Educational institutions that achieve this aim will operate in true collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, community leaders, parents and carers, as outlined in this policy. In collaboration with the existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational organisations, Congress looks forward to working with our Members, communities and governments to build an education system that works for our children. BIBLIOGRAPHY Australian Bureau of Statistics. Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006. Cat. no. 4713.0.
advocates that each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community should decide this matter for educational institutions in their area. Congress recommends that many more resources be made available to support the learning and teaching of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and to strengthen existing language and cultural maintenance programs. Furthermore, the availability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language courses at the higher education level is extremely limited at present. Congress supports the recommendations of the of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs report Our Land: Our Languages: Language Learning in Indigenous Communities. CONCLUSION Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have always educated our children to participate in the cultural life of our communities and cultures, and to obtain the necessary skills to provide for themselves and their families. The institution of colonialism brought with it a requirement that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children attend schools with an assimilationist agenda. At their worst, these schools had poor resources and facilitated the removal of children from their families. With this background, it is little wonder that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have had negative experiences with the education system. More positively, the Australian Government’s endorsement of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as its promotion of the Review of School Funding, provides hope that policy makers are now willing to devise an educational system that meets the needs of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and communities – whether they are in mainstream metropolitan schools or in remote locations where Aboriginal Peoples continue to live on their traditional lands. Educational institutions that achieve this aim will operate in true collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, community leaders, parents and carers, as outlined in this policy. In collaboration with the existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educational organisations, Congress looks forward to working with our Members, communities and governments to build an education system that works for our children. BIBLIOGRAPHY Australian Bureau of Statistics. Population Characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006. Cat. no. 4713.0.
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