PAGE 28
POLICY TO PRACTICE At the policy level, the Australian governments at both state/territory and national levels have made commitments to open spaces for the teaching and learning of First Languages in Australian schools. At the national level, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s (ACARA) Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages22 provides pathways for schools to teach Indigenous languages as first, revival or second languages. The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration,23 signed by all state and territory education ministers, sets out that ‘all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young peoples must be empowered to achieve their full learning potential […] and embrace their cultures, languages and identities’. Many states have their own policy documents related to the teaching or revitalisation of Indigenous languages. For example, the South Australian Bilingual Education Policy 24 seeks to ‘Strengthen and reinvigorate the learning of Aboriginal languages in children’s centres, preschools and schools’ and a ‘move toward a bilingual education model’. In New South Wales, where most Aboriginal children are heritage learners of traditional languages, the NSW Aboriginal Languages Act 201725 seeks to ‘promote, reawaken, nurture and grow Aboriginal languages across NSW’. Despite these policies, jurisdictions have been slow to implement commitments in practice. Though inclusive language education policies are important in and of themselves as representative of political will and acknowledgement of Indigenous rights, their impact is limited without action on the ground. Translating policy into practice will require clear, practicable implementation strategies with sustained commitment and resourcing.26 Indigenous communities, teachers and parents must be engaged in the transformative process of implementing language policy through consistent consultation, interaction and support. Pedagogically-focused teaching and learning materials in Indigenous languages are crucial to sustaining policy at the school level.27 PROMISING SOLUTIONS ALNF is among a growing number of organisations working to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to realise their vision for quality, inclusive, ‘Two Way’ education that is grounded in local knowledge and expertise. There are no ‘quick fixes’ and each language and community is different. ALNF’s partnership with the community on Erub (Darnley Island) in the Torres Strait is one example of our wider approach for empowerment, cultural continuity, and self-determination.
HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER | VOLUME 29: ISSUE 1 – MARCH 2020
The Erub community and ALNF have been working collaboratively since the beginning of 2019. Using a digital solution developed by ALNF and drawing from our experience in speech pathology and early childhood best practice, the Erub community is independently documenting graphemes, words, phrases, and stories in the Erub Mer language. Young people feature prominently in this work, with older generations, who are generally more proficient speakers and knowledge holders, working with younger community members, who have complementary digital and literacy skills, to achieve a common objective. The long-term goal is to use the collected content for teaching and learning activities, both within and outside of school. Community members will continue to lead this work, supported by training and mentoring in early language and literacy practice. Valuing and developing the capacity of local educators (as opposed to teachers posted temporarily to the island) is a vital component of the approach, recognising their important and ongoing role in improving academic and affective outcomes and in decolonising the education system.28 LOOKING FORWARD Australia’s First Languages are essential to achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities’ vision for ‘Two Way’ education now and into the future. First Languages support children’s learning, engagement, and long-term health and well-being. Although policy commitments at the state and national levels are important precursors, policy is insufficient without engagement, empowerment and resourcing at the local level. Non-traditional solutions like technology, complemented by models that engage young people as leaders and implementers alongside their Elders, are promising options already being implemented by organisations like ALNF. Indigenous leaders (young and old) are united in their calls for two-way, bilingual education for the next generation, and through the UN International Year and Decade of Indigenous Languages, these calls are now echoed globally. Upholding their right to linguistically inclusive First Language education gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children the freedom to succeed in both worlds: or as Katrina Tjitayi (PYEC) puts it;
‘we want our children to be strong and proud of their Language and culture. That way, they can walk on both the red dirt and the red carpet’.
