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
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