The National Inquiry into Rural and Remote School Education
“The National Inquiry into Rural and Remote School Education”, by Human Rights Commissioner Chris Sidoti. August 2000
When I was appointed Human Rights Commissioner in 1995 I stated publicly that protecting and promoting the rights of children would be my top priority. I am therefore pleased that two of my most
significant undertakings while in this position were concerned with children’s rights. The first was the National Inquiry into Children and the Legal Process (1995-97), undertaken jointly with
the Australian Law Reform Commission. The other was the National Inquiry into Rural and Remote School Education that has recently concluded.
I would like to outline briefly the key findings and recommendations of the Rural and Remote Education inquiry. But first it must be stated up-front that education is a significant issue of
children’s rights. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC) leaves no doubt about this. Every child has the right to education (CROC article 28)
without discrimination including discrimination on the ground of race or disability (article 2). That education should be directed to the development of the child's personality, talents and
mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential among other objectives (article 29).
Education is also fundamental to the full enjoyment of most other human rights: most clearly the right to work but also the right to health. And to the exercise of
social responsibilities including respect for human rights.
Many young people themselves understand the centrality of education to the exercise of rights, even if they don’t articulate it specifically in human rights terms.
I will never forget a 15 year old student named Trevor whom I met in Nguiu in the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin during the inquiry. No one from Nguiu has ever completed year 12 at school, let alone
gone on to university. Trevor, told us
School is about education and education is power for me. And there are a lot of things that I need to know about the whole world. When I leave school I might go to a
university in Darwin, I want to be a scientist. In future I hope to be President of the Land Council.
Education is power – personal and political. That’s why it’s recognised as a human right.
The Commission’s National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education commenced in February 1999. It was a response to our Bush Talks consultations (http://www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/rural/bushtalks) which identified education as a serious concern in rural Australia. The terms of
reference directed the Inquiry to examine the provision of education for children in rural and remote Australia with reference to
- the availability and accessibility of both primary and secondary schooling
- the quality of educational services, including technological support services, and
- whether the education available to children with disabilities, Indigenous children and children from diverse cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds complies
with their human rights.
The Inquiry visited 28 rural and remote communities in each State and the Northern Territory, taking evidence and holding discussions with students, teachers,
administrators, parents and other community members. It also took formal evidence in every capital city and received 287 written submissions. A national survey was conducted for the Inquiry by the
Youth Research Centre at the University of Melbourne to which there were 3,128 respondents, 55% of them rural and remote area students.
The inquiry confirmed the disadvantage experienced by rural and remote school students on nearly every indicator of education including availability, accessibility,
affordability and acceptability.
Availability of education
On the basic criterion of availability of education, many rural and remote children are losing out. We were particularly concerned about the lack of primary education for many children living on
Indigenous Homeland Communities and outstations, of which we heard evidence in the Kimberley region of WA and in the Northern Territory. In the 1987 report Return to Country, which investigated
the homelands movement, it was estimated that between 700 and 1,000 children in north-east Arnhem Land alone had no access whatsoever to school education. There are still 15 East Arnhem Land
communities without education provision.
Perhaps even more disturbing – given the very substantial numbers affected – is that secondary schooling is simply unavailable - that is, it is not provided – outside the six
major urban and regional centres in the NT. Community Education Centres in remote communities provide only the most basic primary education, with limited tuition support for secondary students to
study by correspondence. Very few do so.
The inquiry recommended strategies to ensure that children living in Homeland Centres have effective access to education. It also recommended a national audit of secondary provision and a national
plan of action to ensure effective access to secondary education for all students in every state and territory.
Accessibility of education
Inaccessibility is perhaps the most widespread problem for school education in rural and remote Australia.
A child with a disability – let’s say she uses a wheelchair and needs assistance with toileting – will confront difficulties enrolling in the school of her choice in any Australian
city. Imagine how her difficulties are compounded when her town has only one school, and that school is built on two levels with no lift to the upper floor, no ramps at any entrance, no handrails in
the toilets, all of which are too narrow anyway to accommodate her wheelchair. There is no funding for a special education teacher and no local resident qualified to take on the role of aide. There
is little awareness at either the school or the district level of the requirements of the Commonwealth’s Disability Discrimination Act or the State’s own Equal Opportunity legislation
– both of which apply. And the school bus is probably inaccessible for wheelchairs.
This child and her family have faced many hurdles over the years: her specialist visits only once each year – or not at all. When she develops an infection she must travel to the nearest
regional centre or the State capital. There is no physiotherapist in town; although that professional visits irregularly, it is not always possible to get an appointment and it’s usually a
different person each time.
The full inclusion and adequate support of rural and remote students with disabilities is going to require a substantial infusion of funds and training, starting with a major attitudinal shift.
Of course, accessibility of education also encompasses many other issues. For example, access to appropriate technology infrastructure and maintenance support remains problematic for many rural and
remote school students in Australia. Internet access is unreliable and can be very costly by comparison to metropolitan centres. Many remote communities across Australia lack grid power or have
intermittent power. Access to professional development programs in information technology is a major concern for rural and remote teachers. In the face of all these barriers, it is no wonder that the
overwhelming perception of students, teachers and parents in rural and remote communities was that they were being left behind by the information age.
Affordability of education
I was frankly astonished to find that most education department staffing and funding formulas make almost no compensation
for the extra costs and time involved in providing education in rural areas, in participating in professional development for staff and in sports competitions and other extra-curricula learning
opportunities for students, in getting repairs done – both to buildings and computer equipment.
The major compensatory program is the Commonwealth’s Country Areas Program – administered through State departments – and not always equitably
we were told.
The inquiry called on education providers to provide targeted funds to rural and remote schools for professional development, as well as paying for teacher replacement to accommodate staff’s
professional needs. We also argued strongly that teachers need to be prepared to teach in rural and remote areas. Teacher training institutions should incorporate into teaching courses compulsory
modules on rural and remote teaching and they should facilitate rural placements and recruitment strategies to prepare and encourage undergraduates for rural teaching positions.
Affordability of education is a major problem for families as well as schools and staff. We were told of the extensive costs of travel, board and excursions for families
and the effect this has on their capacity to provide quality education for their children. There may also be loss of income because of the children’s needs for educational support.
Acceptability of education
Is the education on offer acceptable to all students and their parents? Data on Indigenous children's school participation indicates that their needs
are not being met. Only 87.6% of Aboriginal boys in the Northern Territory participate even in the compulsory years of schooling. That means that one in eight do not. Only one quarter go on to
complete year 12.
Many of our recommendations in the report detail the need for culturally appropriate education for Indigenous communities in rural and remote areas, from incorporating Indigenous community knowledge
into curriculum and teaching, through to the involvement of Indigenous communities in education decision-making. Our reports set out some fundamental principles that should underpin future planning
and provision of education to Indigenous students throughout Australia, based on self-determination and respect for Indigenous culture and rights.
The way forward
The Commission has released a series of publications to detail the findings and recommendations of the inquiry. All of them are available on the
Commission’s website. Emerging Themes (http://www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/emerging_themes.pdf) highlights key issues that arose during the inquiry. Education Access (http://www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/rural_and_remote/Access_final.pdf) comprises case
studies of children without access to a school or adequate curriculum, demonstrating very clearly the human impact of these issues, School Communities http://www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/rural_and_remote/school_communities.pdf showcases positive and innovative models of community involvement with schools to overcome the problems faced by remote areas.
The Recommendations report (http://www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/Rec_book.pdf) details the 73 recommendations of the
inquiry, aimed at enhancing the availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability of school education for all children in rural and remote Australia. What is needed to ensure these
recommendations are implemented effectively? There can be no denying that more funds are needed. We framed our recommendations with a close eye on the resources implications. They do not present what
we consider ideal but what we concluded was realistic, achievable, in financial terms. However, we must accept that some resources will be required. Still, if the NSW Government can find the billions
of dollars needed for the Sydney Olympics and the federal government hundreds of millions of dollars for the Collins class submarines, surely we can find the money to guarantee that rural and remote
children receive the education they deserve. As far as I am concerned, education for rural and remote children is a more important issue than the Sydney Olympics or the Collins class submarines. It
is an issue of children’s rights and human rights.
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