Threatened parents understand education
30.09.2009
IN 1991 the then Queensland premier, Wayne Goss, made a surprise visit to Aurukun State School on western Cape York.
Some 240 children were enrolled at the school, but on that day there were about 20 teachers -- and they almost outnumbered the students.
Goss said that if attendance did not improve, he would start taking teachers away.
``Use it or lose it,'' was the premier's message.
The Queensland government's adoption of the Cape York Welfare Reform Trial proposed by Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson attracted plenty of criticism. That was especially so when an ill-considered version was applied in the Northern Territory -- the Howard government's ``intervention''.
Pearson, who has spent his adult life fighting for the rights of his people, was frustrated because so little was changing.
He became convinced that education of the children was the way forward.
A decade ago that became Pearson's focus.
But there are numerous steps to be climbed to achieve the aspiration of having an indigenous population with an education standard equal to that of non-indigenous Australians.
The very best syllabus explained by the most capable and dedicated teachers is useless if those teachers are talking to empty classrooms.
So Pearson has left the syllabus to those with that expertise.
That responsibility has been ably addressed by indigenous educationist Dr Chris Sarra and Australian of the Year, Professor Mick Dodson.
Pearson concentrated instead on getting them the required audience of children.
Nothing that was previously tried had worked -- feeding children when they arrived, encouraging parental involvement, providing cultural teachers. Still the pupils stayed away in number. So Pearson had his last roll of the dice, proposing that parents be forced where necessary to send their children to school, and if they did not do that basic thing, they would lose their right to welfare payments.
The figures to be released today show that the first step is working -- the children are getting to school.
Some of the statistics showing increased attendance in Cape York schools are startling and a credit to all those involved, including the teachers and parents.
There is nothing so empowering to a child as gaining knowledge, and school is the place to achieve that empowerment.
The methods adopted might have appeared heavy-handed and discriminatory, but the chief argument is about the quality of children's lives.
That outcome is much more important than yet another mindless bleat about the ``rights'' of somebody which apparently override the rights of children to gain a decent education and consequently the chance of a decent life.
It is ludicrous to even suggest that it is asking too much of any parent anywhere to ensure that their children get to school.
