Why aboriginal people have a low enrolment and completion rates at universities

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Why Aboriginal people have low enrolment and completion rates at Universities

by Frank Pearce 31 December 2013

T

his is a collation of commentary from various Aboriginal people who have had the University experience including the author. • Our history has a lot to do with why we don’t go to Uni • We aren’t good enough • We are too dumb/stupid • I’ll never fit in • I won’t be able to do the work • The isolation of being away from family/Country • Knowing that people will have no real understanding

Bishop Anthony Fisher presents Frank Pearce with the Br John Taylor Award for excellence in Catholic Education. Image supplied

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of where I’m/we’re coming from Family / community obligations Fear is a huge factor too – For many we need to work through our fears and push past the obstacles real/or selfimposed. We can be our own worst enemies Being the only Aboriginal in a class can be daunting if not truly scary – how do you get past that? How do you get the guts to interact and share your own opinions with others when you know

they have no concept of who you are or where you fit in society?

Competitiveness

In an educational sense competing to be better than everyone else is not an Aboriginal trait. We are in a lot of cases more interested in the success of the group than as an individual. Western education is too much about the ‘ME and not about the “WE”. When I did my first degree at 50 on the very first day when we were complaining about how crowded

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the class room was the lecturer said don’t worry half of the class will drop out in the first 2 blocks. Might have been reverse psychology because we banded together and 4 years later were the biggest ever graduation class. We all supported and tutored each other including motivating each other when times got tough. In the antiseptic environment of Uni lecture halls being surrounded by people who know where you are coming from is a big plus. Don’t have family University histories

“Real “education for Aboriginal people only began post 1967. Before that we were not even citizens of our own country. Because of being such late inclusions to the educational life of this country the vast majority of Aboriginal people attending University will be the first of their family to do so. This means there are very very few University role models in a young person’s family to emulate or to mentor them in very unknown territory. Also it is my belief that the majority of Aboriginal people currently attending Uni are mature age. That is very good but Yrs. 8-12 need other people more of their own age bracket as role models. Young Aboriginal people are like all young people their age in that they will take far more notice of someone they can identify with rather than old fellas like me. Why should I bother going to Uni? (Get asked these a lot) Why should I go to Uni I will do all that work and because I am Aboriginal won’t get a job appropriate to my qualification or will only get an Aboriginal identified job where I won’t be able to make decisions anyway? Why should I go to Uni there as there are no jobs for Uni

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graduates in my community?

I worked for a long period in Aboriginal employment so I am painfully aware of the barriers Aboriginal people face in the employment area. I had the painful experience of 2 years of unemployment till it was suggested I remove the fact I was Aboriginal from my CV. It worked wonders as the employment interviews started rolling in. I also worked for a few years in a thing called the Youth Access centre for the old CES. This catered for school age kids and those who had left school. The above questions or similar ones were posed on a daily basis. Parents also often ask the same questions. Aboriginal employment is a bigger minefield than education. I know because I dealt with many racist or ignorant employers, face to face, in writing and on the phone. I also monitored trainee and apprenticeship placements where it was painfully obvious the only reason an Aboriginal person had got the job was because of lucrative subsidy. Aboriginal support units are essential but? They must have a shakeup in their mind set. They mustn’t wait for an Aboriginal student to come to them with an issue because in a lot of cases that is not going to happen. These units are generally staffed by well-educated Aboriginal people who know how the system works so sometimes they are not aware that a student particularly from rural and remote communities is experiencing difficulties. These units on a regular basis need to not only check that an individual student is going ok educationally but also emotionally. On block release courses most Aboriginal students enjoy the educational and emotional support of others fighting the same battles. For those doing a mainstream degree cultural isolation is a big

issue so these units really need to make sure that these people are supported extra well. At one Uni I attended I wasn’t even aware the support Unit was there for over 12 mths. Positive Uni experiences of some Aboriginal people • A positive experience for me was the fact that I had the support of the Indigenous Unit on campus. • I also felt that because I had the opportunity to study with other Indigenous peoples from across the state and that we were all there for the common good of our people it enriched and valued the purpose of why we were there and encouraged and strengthened my commitment to complete my studies. • The ability to access a course through a special entry • Student support, (The university I went to had a student support program ie MOSA – Monash Orientation Scheme for Aboriginals, ACU Yalbalinga, UNSW has one as well) • There were extra support programs within the faculties that you did your course with • Lecturers were very helpful at most university’s however there were some lecturers who had their favourites and this had its difficulties. • During the early Uni years back in the 80’s/90’s I did have some great lecturers who were working so hard with their students and helping many Aboriginal students get through. People like Hal Wooten, Garth Neitheim and David Brown (great lecturers of their time and still contribute through their readings and their commentaries) did wonders for me. But these guys were


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exceptional as they saw a need and a great injustice that pointed straight at the first peoples of this country. The Indigenous staff were very welcoming and inviting Indigenous staff seemed to understand how difficult it was to be away from family for a week at a time but always asked how I was feeling and offered me the phone to make contact with loved ones. This made me feel less homesick and I could then concentrate on learning. • Some subjects involved ‘hands on’ activities that maintained my interest and I had fun while learning. Some lecturers loved teaching me as they had a passion for Indigenous people and wanted to support me on my journey through education. The actual Uni environment was very inviting and made me feel comfortable whilst I attended for five years. Office staff, most lecturers and other students were very nice to talk to as well as being helpful to my needs and offered advice. Had the opportunity to apply for a ‘one off’ scholarship and was successful due to my performance of grades. Working in groups on projects. Knowing where the Aboriginal support was on campus. Participating in the celebrating of culture on campus.

Negative experiences of some Aboriginal people • The perception of the ‘unknown’ (the place called university). The disconnection between academia and culture. • On a few occasions it was

Frank Pearce with dances at Catholic Education Council. Image supplied

evident that the lecturers had little understandings of cultural protocols. Assumptions were made that we all have access to internet and resources that were required to complete assignments by due dates. The lack of commitment with Uni lecturers who babbled on about everything that was irrelevant to the subject that I was enrolled in. Not enough information on subject taught at uni, remembering that my visit to Uni was 4 times a year for 1 week. Some didn’t seem to be prepared and were far too relaxed and then towards end of week decided to rush leaving me with little information for assignments. Stress settles in and then anxiety about failing. There was also a strong lack of communication when contacting lecturers from home. By the time they got your message about the problem it was time for the assignment to be due. This sort of stuff was really frustrating. I would ask

people locally for assistance whilst waiting for the lecturer to contact me back. • Lecturers seem to favour students who didn’t take learning seriously, were disruptive, late to class and failed to hand assignments or not at all. The students would then skite about high grades and were not punished for late submissions. For students like me it was very frustrating and annoying. • Scheduled rooms for my subjects were always changed and main stream students had preference over rooms were preferences over block release residential. • Commitment by lecturers to engage in wanting to teach was slack and disappointing. Recommendations to help people enrol in Uni and to complete • Needs to be time set aside and arrangements made for the Aboriginal students doing mainstream degrees at a particular Uni to meet socialise and discuss their particular issues. Maybe

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even be able to network with other mainstream Aboriginal students at other Universities Block release students usually support each other in mainstream courses you are on your own. University studies need to be promoted more effectively in communities and an understanding of the pathways that are available for future Students. The university needs to reach out and connect with communities. Do the university values align with the Aboriginal community values? Is the Aboriginal community represented at the university (e.g.: symbols across the campus, on the website). Raising awareness among Indigenous students of extracurricular programs across the university that support the achievement of their degree (e.g.: leadership programs, national competitions). Open days where other Indigenous University student share their true experiences, challenges and successes. Make sure students are able to read and write fluently and prepare a comprehensive questionnaire for them to apply for enrolment. It doesn’t have to be hard but precise on what is required to attend Uni and will discourage students who are there for a free ride. Have some guidelines on what is expected from student’s behaviour, commitment to studies, expectation of time management and deadlines

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for submission of assignments. Make it known that attendance is compulsory for residential visits to Uni. Look thoroughly into the money that is given to students to assist them with the costs whilst they are away from home. They have accommodation paid for and meal allowance is given to all Indigenous students. But guidelines need be put in place and students told they must adhere to this then maybe those who are not serious will drop out and leave the dedicated students the opportunity to learn. Ensure that lecturers have guidelines to employment and make them responsible for their roles to teach Indigenous students in a professional capacity. Ensure they are equipped to teach by having plenty of teaching materials to provide a better learning environment for students who are only there for a short time, i.e. 4 times a year. Provide scholarships but ensure that students have specific responsibilities to warrant the continuation of this scholarship. This will sift out the committed students from the uncommitted students. This will encourage a successful rate in student achievement and completion of course. Provide after- hours tutoring to encourage questions about assignment clarification to allow students go home comfortable and eager to conquer each assignment. The information will be fresh

in their minds and easy for them to understand. At the beginning of the Uni year students need to attend a session which allows them to express themselves in why they want to attend Uni and what the benefits are. This participation by all students may encourage them to take responsibility and have a desire to learn themselves. Those Uni’s with Indigenous Units seem to attract and hold enrolments e.g. Koori Centre at Sydney, Wollatuka at Newcastle etc. So what do they provide that supports enrolments through to graduation – Aboriginal staff? We need to draw a strong line through the education sector that “fails” to give Aboriginal students the skill level to attain entrance straight from Year 12. If our completion rate to Year 12 is around the 30% mark as opposed to 70% then the pool of possible students is reduced dramatically. We could also argue about the “family culture” - I mean that for many white families it is just a part of what you do, for a lot of Aboriginal families there is no history of brothers, parent, uncles, cousins going on to University so there is not Role Model – For many Aboriginal students they are the first in family to get HSC let alone a Uni placement This also leads to those who do make it not having experienced through family the commitment (study habits) needed to complete.


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