geezer
New Member
NSW public school students are to acknowledge Aborigines as the original custodians of the land, under new Department of Education guidelines.
The Aboriginal "welcome to country" greeting and the "acknowledgement of country" will be performed at assemblies and other formal school functions. They are already used at functions attended by NSW and federal ministers, including the federal Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, but their extension to NSW public schools and TAFE is an Australian first, and have been hailed by Aboriginal leaders as a major milestone towards reconciliation.
The president of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Dave Ella, said the greetings would engender respect towards indigenous people and raise students' self-esteem.
"It's probably one of the biggest developments since the reconciliation Bridge walk [in 2000]," he said. "The community is really excited about it."
The state Education and Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Andrew Refshauge, said the guidelines were not mandatory but were a "useful" way of explaining the proper form of address and acknowledgement. "People do want to recognise the traditional owners, that's been part of a growing feeling about people understanding our history and having respect," he said. "And all political parties have agreed that respect is the starting point you need for reconciliation."
The guidelines, which will be implemented this year, explain the "welcome to country" can take the form of a speech or a dance but can only be performed by an Aboriginal elder. The acknowledgement, which can be said by anyone, recognises the school event is "taking place on the country of the traditional custodians". Both would show "respect for Aboriginal people as Australia's first peoples".
For Aborigines in Sydney, around the CBD, eastern suburbs and inner west, the greeting would be: "I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people, who are the traditional custodians of this land. I would also like to pay respect to the elders, both past and present, of the Eora nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginals present."
The plan originated with Aboriginal teachers in the NSW Teachers Federation and was adopted by the Education Department and the Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group, which advises the Government.
The senior vice-president of the federation, Angelo Gavrielatos, said using the greeting in schools was emblematic of Aborigines' "rightful place" in Australia's history. "It will have an incredibly positive effect on Aboriginal students across the state. They will be able to feel pride in terms of their inheritance and identity," he said.
A recent state government review highlighted the acknowledgement of Aboriginal identity - inextricably linked to "belonging to the land and to each other" - as important to improving the performance of indigenous students.
The review found Aboriginal students were up to five years behind non-Aboriginal students in reading and writing by year 7.
FROM THE SMH
I don’t particularly want to spend valuable learning time reciting a speech, nor do I think it will help. I already acknowledge it was there’s first I don’t need to remind my self, is this just bureaucratic affirmative action.
The Aboriginal "welcome to country" greeting and the "acknowledgement of country" will be performed at assemblies and other formal school functions. They are already used at functions attended by NSW and federal ministers, including the federal Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, but their extension to NSW public schools and TAFE is an Australian first, and have been hailed by Aboriginal leaders as a major milestone towards reconciliation.
The president of the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Dave Ella, said the greetings would engender respect towards indigenous people and raise students' self-esteem.
"It's probably one of the biggest developments since the reconciliation Bridge walk [in 2000]," he said. "The community is really excited about it."
The state Education and Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Andrew Refshauge, said the guidelines were not mandatory but were a "useful" way of explaining the proper form of address and acknowledgement. "People do want to recognise the traditional owners, that's been part of a growing feeling about people understanding our history and having respect," he said. "And all political parties have agreed that respect is the starting point you need for reconciliation."
The guidelines, which will be implemented this year, explain the "welcome to country" can take the form of a speech or a dance but can only be performed by an Aboriginal elder. The acknowledgement, which can be said by anyone, recognises the school event is "taking place on the country of the traditional custodians". Both would show "respect for Aboriginal people as Australia's first peoples".
For Aborigines in Sydney, around the CBD, eastern suburbs and inner west, the greeting would be: "I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people, who are the traditional custodians of this land. I would also like to pay respect to the elders, both past and present, of the Eora nation and extend that respect to other Aboriginals present."
The plan originated with Aboriginal teachers in the NSW Teachers Federation and was adopted by the Education Department and the Aboriginal Educational Consultative Group, which advises the Government.
The senior vice-president of the federation, Angelo Gavrielatos, said using the greeting in schools was emblematic of Aborigines' "rightful place" in Australia's history. "It will have an incredibly positive effect on Aboriginal students across the state. They will be able to feel pride in terms of their inheritance and identity," he said.
A recent state government review highlighted the acknowledgement of Aboriginal identity - inextricably linked to "belonging to the land and to each other" - as important to improving the performance of indigenous students.
The review found Aboriginal students were up to five years behind non-Aboriginal students in reading and writing by year 7.
FROM THE SMH
I don’t particularly want to spend valuable learning time reciting a speech, nor do I think it will help. I already acknowledge it was there’s first I don’t need to remind my self, is this just bureaucratic affirmative action.
