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Mapping Boarding School Opportunities for Aboriginal Students from the Central Land Council Region of Northern Territory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2018

Samuel Osborne ,
Lester-Irabinna Rigney ,
Tessa Benveniste ,
John Guenther  and
Samantha Disbray
Samuel Osborne*
Affiliation:
School of Education, University of South Australia, Garth Boomer Building, Mawson Lakes, South Australia 5095, Australia
Lester-Irabinna Rigney
Affiliation:
School of Education, University of South Australia, Garth Boomer Building, Mawson Lakes, South Australia 5095, Australia
Tessa Benveniste
Affiliation:
Appleton Institute, Central Queensland University, 44 Greenhill Rd Wayville, Adelaide, South Australia 5034, Australia
John Guenther
Affiliation:
Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Casuarina Campus Darwin, Northern Territory 0845, Australia
Samantha Disbray
Affiliation:
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Coombs Building, Liversidge St, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Samuel Osborne, School of Education, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia. Email: samuel.osborne@unisa.edu.au.
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Abstract

The 2014 Wilson review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory recommended boarding school models as the preferred secondary education option for very remote Aboriginal students. This study considers boarding uptake by Aboriginal students from the Central Land Council region of the Northern Territory. An examination of boarding programs available to Aboriginal students in this region found that scholarship access is largely determined by socioeducational advantage and the perceived social stability of the family and student. To increase access and participation in boarding, more flexible funding assistance programs are needed. An expanded role for brokering could also increase retention and completion rates. Ultimately, more investment is also required in remote community schools, and in the development of ‘both ways’ capital if the social and educational aspirations of young Aboriginal students and their families in this region are to be realised through a boarding school model.

Keywords

Indigenous educationboardingaccessequity
Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , December 2019 , pp. 162 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

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