[Commpsych] FW: [womenforwik] Fw: [contactWGAR] Rudd government discriminating against homelands

Tue Dec 9 14:42:30 WST 2008

Please see below examples of institutionalised racism alive and well 

____________________________________________

Dawn Darlaston-Jones, PhD

Lecturer, Behavioural Science

School of Arts & Sciences

University of Notre Dame

19 Mouat Street (PO Box 1225)

FREMANTLE

Western Australia WA 6160

Tel: +61 8 9433 0567

Fax: +61 8 9433 6073

e-mail ddarlaston-jones at nd.edu.au

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FYI Letter writing campaign request that has been forwarded to the networks.Please send copies of your letters to: lmiller at octa4.net.au. Thanksfor your interest,

Rudd government discriminating against homelands

Hi HelenI'm wondering if you have any contacts who might be interested in homelands education and the plight of homelands in the NT under the Rudd govt. 

We've just been instructed to teach the first 4 hours in English daily, thereby abolishing our internationally reknowned bilingual program.

It is now apparent that homelands/outstations are going to be de-funded and people moved into larger communities or dysunities as we know them by.

Mapuru is where our family live, and the story below tells of their struggle for equality and hope for their children.The NT government has verbally rejected (phone conversation but not yet in writing) Mapuru Homeland's application to become an Independent Christian School. I am requesting your assistance to support Mapuruby lobbying Jenny Macklin, Kevin Rudd and the NT government to support their Independent Christian School application.Mapuru community have also requested that we ask Australians to hold the Mapuru community in theirthoughts and send messages of hope for them to be able to achieve their aspirations. A history of Mapuru's struggle to become a recognised school is below.STARVING FOR ENGLISH, STARVING FOR MATHS.If you are a black parent don't expect your kids will get the same access to schooling as white kids, it just doesn't work that way in the Northern Territory.Before the residents of Mapuru were able to access any educational services for their children, they first had to construct a school building. They had to find a teacher who was willing to work without pay for six months.This was and still is called the 'trial' period before becoming an acknowledged Homeland Learning Centre. In1982 Mapuru parents saved their money and built the school house, then for six months operated a school program without pay and minimal assistance. Not much later Jackie began working as the teacher at the school. While Jackie has no formal teacher training he is extremely committed to the children in his care. In 1995 Jackie's uncles Johnny and Kevin asked the NT Department of Education for a permanent English speaking teacher to be based at Mapuru.This and other requests were ignored for the next eight years. Their words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Early in 2003 Kevin sent a letter to the Minister for education. There was no reply to this letter for several months, but after follow-up letters and several telephone calls the Minister visited Mapuru in late 2003 and promised, at a community meeting of residents, that qualified teachers would soon be living permanently and teaching there.Nothing happened. The community believed the minister impotent in the face of a racist bureaucracy. In 2006 Kevin visited the Minister in Darwin who reaffirmed his intention to honour the previous commitment. Again the community were disappointed with the lack of response.Mid 2007 the community told their story to the ABC. Jackie said "the children are starving for English, they are starving for maths." Yingiya said on the same progam, " we only want what every other child in Australiahas, (a school)". The Education Minister at the time Paul Henderson said, " these children are doing as wellas any children they don't need a full-time teacher".The residents were told by a delegation investigating their circumstances that they would not be given afull-time teacher. With no alternative and being a Christian community they approached the Northern Territory Christian schools Association (NTCSA), who expressed interest in their plight. In early 2008 the NTCSA met with the Mapuru community and agreed to work with them to fulfill their dreams. Community members then met with Marion Scrymgour and told her of their goal to become an Independent Chrsitian school. A detailed application was prepared and sent to the Northern Territory Department of education inJuly 2008. Mapuru expected that their application would receive approval within a month or two and they could start the 2009 school year with at least two resident qualified teachers. After months of delay Mapuru residents heard in October that their application has been rejected, and that it will not be approved under any circumstances.Before we go any further we need to mention a few facts about Mapuru. There are over 40 children attending the school. Every day every child goes to school. In 2003 Jackie's mother provided funds to establish a coop in the school so children could learn about real money, ordering and bookkeeping. Two years later this food co-op was awarded the National Heart Foundation award for a Small Community Initiative.This year Jackie won a NT government Innovation in Research and Technology award for his skills in using technology and teaching Mapuru residents to run the co-op, use internet technology to order and pay for goods, internet bank and use eftpos technology.The women of Mapuru have been successfully managing and operating an ecotourism business for 6 years, because they are desperate for their children to have a future living on their ancestral lands (See: www.arnhemweavers.com.au).Jackie the teacher who has worked at the school for 25 years has never been offered career development by the Northern Territory Department of education. There has never been alcohol at Mapuru, and the women claim there is no domestic violence and no child abuse.Despite the difficulties, residents are determined to live at Mapuru where they know their children will have afuture, and are safe away from the dysfunction of the nearby large townships. They are determined to keep their children away from the youth suicide, teenage pregnancy, lack of parental control, substance abuse, lethargy and the band wagon of negative impacts of Western culture.They need to become an independent school because they want the right to select teachers who are sympathetic to their aspirations, they want to ensure the co-op and weaving business incorporated into a holistic curriculum, and they want greater say managing the school.It seems clear that the Rudd government is reluctant to not honour it's pre-election promise to implementAustralia's obligations under the U. N's Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples, and that Mapuruis a casualty of a hidden agenda. In October 2008 the Rudd government voted against a Greens motion for Labour to honour their election promise ( Senator Stewart 16.08.08. www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/dailys/ds160908.pdf).Meanwhile there are around 20 schools in the Northern Territory with less than 20 children, there are over 60 cattle stations with one or more children all of which are kept up to date with the latest satellite technology and access to quality distance education. Needless to say all these are predominantly for white children. To add insult to injury, in 2008 Mapuru was denied access to distance education for it's older students by the NT Department of Education.If you are concerned and care about Mapuru, please write to Marian Scrymgour, NT Minister for Education and NT's Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, expressing your outrage at these blantantly racist policies. You could mention the failure of Kevin Rudd to keep his election promise, and request they approve Mapuru's application to become an independent Christian school. The Rudd government's failure to endorse the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will negatively impact upon Australia's Indigenous people, not only Mapuru. You might also like to write to your federal member and the Prime Minster asking them to explain why they are opposing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples when 370 million Indigenous people are the most severely disadvantaged people in the world.Please send us copies. Regards, Linda and JohnSchool Fontshttp://www.schoolfonts.com.auhttp://www.arnhemweavers.com.au"The true revolutionary is guided by feelings of Great Love." (Writing on the wall. S11.)

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