Comments on: Scrymgour: I support teaching regional Aboriginal languages

By: Milangka

Milangka — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Minister Scrymgour has shifted substantially from the Dr Charles Perkins AO Memorial oration when she spoke of the NT Intervention as the second intervention, the first one being the Stolen Generation. Ms Scrymgour must also know, being a true Territorian, that afternoons are not the best time for any lessons that require intense concentration and would be better left for art or craft, computer or recreation-type activities especially during the wet season build-up or when the temperature hovers around 40 degrees. And by the way, why do so many schools close at midday on Fridays?
It is good that the Minister has picked up on media “dumbing down” but does she realise this is not a new phenomenon and her federal counterpart has a role to play in this.
I wonder what the NT government’s proposals are to support families struggling with her “zero-tolerance” rule. A supportive policy rather than a punitive one would work better, as international evidence demonstrates.
By the way, it is ironic that in the Territory where Aboriginal languages are alive and comparatively well they struggle for support whereas interstate Indigenous groups are being funded to revive their languages.

By: Wamut

Wamut — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

“I am simply saying that that teaching should take place in the afternoons.” says the Minister.

It might be a simple statement, but its ramifications are significant. It dismantles decades of bilingual education and denies the rights of communities to determine or influence their own education delivery. It’s quite significant. Don’t dumb it down.

Penelope is quite right. Bilingual education works in many places across the world and isn’t controversial at all. It is an approach that makes sense and is backed up by research. What a pity that on the world stage, the NT Education system will look like a red-necked yokel.

By: kathy mcmahon

kathy mcmahon — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Strange and stranger...
Just read Marion Scrymgour's posting on the Crikey website, in which she is advocating that bilingual schools use the "teaching model" from Gunbalanya CEC. As an "old" teacher from Yirrkala CEC a bilingual school which has celebrated the graduation of 20 Year 12 NTCE students since 2005, I am left wondering why such a school should be forced to emulate a school that has, to my knowledge, never produced a Year 12 graduate. I am sorry that Ms Scrymgour, who has no educational background, is taking advice from some very ill-informed people. If she would like some real instruction about different models of bilingual education she would be better seeking it from Associate Professor of Bilingual Education and Applied Linguistics, Dr Brian Devlin at her very own Charles Darwin University.

By: Frank Baarda

Frank Baarda — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

As with so many political "debates", its now boiled down to a to-and-fro as to who said what and what did they mean by it, and who is right and who is wrong and what do we know about it and what are the facts and what works and what doesn't ad naseum.
Nothing will convince me otherwise than that "teaching in the vernacular" is the most effective way of educating children (and adults too for that matter).
In my opinion (and I'm fully aware that in any debate or discussion the distinction between facts and opinions tends to get lost)... I'll rephrase that: It is my firmly held belief that to give children more than one language is one of the greatest gifts that a parent, teacher or (yes) politician can give.

Testing results, school attendance, proficiency in English, school time-tables are all furphys, straw-men and red-herrings in this debate (whether the first four hours of instruction should be the teaching of English literacy and numeracy).

I'm convinced that the only way we'll see significant improvements in education outcomes in remote Northern Territory schools where English isn't a first language is if local residents are re-empowered. For example: the ability to speak the local language to be given social status and professional recognition as a significant qualification to teach, and School Councils to be given more say in recruiting.

In the end we can discuss and argue until we go blue in the face. That bilingual education has again to be defended against attack, is sad and exasperating. That this attack is coming from the other end of the political spectrum, is ironic, dissappointing and not a little spooky.

By: Penelope Schoeffel

Penelope Schoeffel — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Australia through AusAID, and New Zealand through its bilateral aid programme, have been supporting education in Pacific Island countries (e.g. Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji) in which there is one native or non-English national language - in these countries children learn both their native language and English in school. In those Pacific Island countries with hundreds of native languages (e.g. PNG, Solomons, Vanuatu) the situation is more complicated because there are about 800 languages some spoken by thousands some by only a few hundred. The issue of bilingual education has been extensively researched for the Pacific Islands and Australia is not short of experts on the issue. Surely there are lessons and models from the Pacific that can be applied to aboriginal education in Australia.

By: Frank Baarda

Frank Baarda — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Something else that gets lost in the discussion:
Bilingual or two-way education doesn't "teach Warlpiri" (or whatever other language is involved). Yuendumu children, when they first come to school already "know Warlpiri" - they started learning it at their mother's breast.
"I support teaching regional Aboriginal languages" is yet another furphy.
Bilingual education "teaches using Warlpiri", mainly so the children can know what it is the teacher is saying (is this so bloody mysterious?)
Education is about inspiring children to learn, think, read, write, develop their language skills, find out about nature etc.etc.
And what a bonus If at the end the children can do all of this in more than one language!