The launch of the first National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy
Strategy today is an important step towards addressing educational disadvantage
among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The government will provide $27 million over the next four years to back
this strategy, which addresses indigenous literacy, numeracy and attendance
problems in the most disadvantaged areas.
I am delighted that a number of high profile indigenous Australians,
including Jimmy Little, Cliff Lyons and Nicky Winmar are supporting the
strategy by serving as Ambassadors for Indigenous Education.
Addressing disadvantage in education is a key step towards real reconciliation
and improving the status and standard of living of indigenous Australians.
Being able to read and write, add and subtract is fundamental to a good
start in life. We are making progress, reflected in a fourfold increase
since the 1970s in the proportion of indigenous children completing high
school and a trebling of indigenous higher education enrolments. But more
needs to be done and this landmark strategy contains practical measures
to improve the situation.
It includes action to lift school attendance rates, address hearing and
health problems that affect educational performance, improve pre-school
opportunities, train more teachers for indigenous communities and apply
transparent measures of success to accurately gauge progress.
An important element of the strategy is that it is based on a cooperative
effort by local communities, schools, parents and government departments,
both State and Federal, to achieve improved outcomes.
This is another expression of the social coalition at work to address
difficult problems within our society by drawing on the skills and resources
of individuals, local communities, government and business.