There is so much for us to learn by fully engaging
By CLAIRE FIELD
It is the only message I could take away from the keynote address by Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, vice-chancellor, University of Cape Town to last week’s Universities Australia conference.
Prof Phakeng challenged delegates not only to think about how education changes lives, but also how increased access to education requires us to think about how education itself should change.
Aside from her compelling personal story – what struck me most was her description of UCT’s efforts to decolonise its curriculum. In taking on that challenge she made it clear that the process was a university-wide one and involved considerable negotiation and reflection.
I wonder how many Australian universities have sat down with Indigenous students and staff to systematically examine curriculum, methodologies and processes across the university?
Indigenous studies units, scholarships, mentoring and other equity initiatives are clearly playing an important role in improving access to university for First Nations students – but are there any Australian universities undertaking system-wide efforts to look critically at what they are teaching?
In the VET sector, there are recommendations from the Joyce Review calling on governments to:
* support the development of more quality Indigenous-owned-and-led registered training organisations to provide more learning in Indigenous cultural settings, and
* specifically measure enrolment, progress and outcomes for Indigenous learners.
These are almost the only recommendations from Steven Joyce’s report to which the government is yet to respond. There is also no mention of them yet in the VET Reform Roadmap. What an opportunity for VET officials to grasp these recommendations and embrace them.
We not only do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a huge disservice by ignoring these recommendations – we do ourselves a disservice. There is so much for us to learn by fully engaging with First Nations people. They should be at the heart of our tertiary education sector.
Claire Field advises on VET, international education and private higher education