Scrapping bi-lingual education Don't cut off our tongues! Australian actor Jack Thompson has joined the growing number of people throughout Australia who are campaigning against the NT Government's plans to scrap bilingual education. He was one of scores of people at a workshop during the Garma Cultural Festival in north-east Arnhem Land in July who heard that remote communities were not asked what they thought of the programs before the decision was made to end them. Bilingual education is basically learning and teaching in and through two languages. The general approach is that students are first taught literacy (reading and writing) in their first language, combined with a strong oral language foundation in English in the early years of schooling. In many Aboriginal communities, children come to school with a strong oral language background in their first language and English is like a foreign language. Not everyone speaks it and daily life is conducted in the local Aboriginal language. During 1998, about 47 percent of all Aboriginal students in remote Aboriginal community schools were enrolled in schools with bilingual education programs. Gurrwun Yunupingu, a teacher at Yirrkala CEC School, told the audience that she was in tears when she found out the program was being phased out. "It is very important to us. We don't want to phase it out", she said. Ms Yunupingu said her own personal education journey began in 1974, the first year of the bilingual programs, and she quickly decided she wanted to be a teacher. A strong supporter of the programs, she pointed out many of the benefits to the students of the "both ways" educational system. "We also take them out to the bush -- because we know there is a classroom out there too", she said. Principal of Papunya School in Central Australia, Ms Diane deVere said many teachers and parents were "shattered" to hear about the end of the program, but it was perhaps not such a shock for the Top End, as many programs had already faced severe cutbacks. "It is a known fact that we learn best in our first language and that the acquisition of a second language has many beneficial outcomes for learners", she said. A paper produced by the Anangu Tjuta Nintirrikupayi Aboriginal Corporation in the Papunya Community states that the suggestion that Aboriginal students should be instructed in English only "generates a killing of the spirit in our students and leads to an education which is more about forgetting: forgetting your culture, your identity and values." Mandawuy Yunupingu, former principal of the school at Yirrkala and another strong advocate of "both ways" education, explained that, while he had a conventional Western education "including reciting the Lords Prayer and saluting the flag", something different was happening at home. "To have a pride in my culture was something I could learn at home. I leaned to sing it and dance it", he said. "I wanted to go teaching and challenge white education. I knew there was a better way." Many workshop participants asked how they could help in the campaign to save the bilingual education programs and were encouraged to write to their local politicians to indicate their concerns. Actor Jack Thompson stated that he considered the scrapping of bilingual programs a crime and commented: "If they're going to strip bilingual studies, they might as well choke the children". ***************************** Article from "Land Rights News", paper of the Central and Northern Land Councils. The Guardian 65 Campbell Street, Surry Hills. 2010 Australia. Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Website: http://www.peg.apc.org/~guardian -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
