The problems this advocacy campaign seeks to solve:

• Most children are missing out on a quality education about local First Nations peoples, cultures, languages, histories and perspectives in school.

• Teachers often aren’t confident or properly supported to authentically deliver the First Nations cross-curriculum priority.

• Schools aren’t funded to employ local First Nations community members to assist teachers, students and the school itself.

• There is no universal, national system for schools to formally engage and fairly pay local First Nations communities for sharing their knowledge with all students.

Australia’s Education Ministers seem to agree:

In December 2019, Federal, State and Territory Education Ministers released the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration. On page 10 it states:

“The development of partnerships and connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will greatly improve learning outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and benefit all young Australians. Effective partnerships are based on culturally supportive and responsive learning environments. Welcoming and valuing the local, regional and national cultural knowledge and the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will help the education community to build authentic partnerships with local communities and teach young Australians the value of our nation’s rich history. More importantly, it will foster a culturally supportive learning environment where all young Australians can thrive educationally and in all facets of life.”

The proposed solution

This campaign calls for Federal, State and Territory Ministers to commit ongoing funding for every primary school to employ First Nations Cultural Educators. This will equip teachers and schools with the resource required to embed First Nations knowledges and perspectives across the curriculum. First Nations Cultural Educators will be able to build authentic and meaningful relationships between schools and local First Nations communities as the Ministers described in their Declaration.

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