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The Forum > Article Comments > Whitefella education won’t work > Comments

Whitefella education won’t work : Comments

By Jan Ferguson, published 21/4/2008

To achieve better educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians we need to give tangible evidence that we value their cultures as much as we value our own.

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The idea that ‘white education’ either won’t work for Aboriginal children or will somehow make them forget their culture is nonsense.
Australian Chinese, Indians, Malaysians etcetc all seem to be able to adapt and thrive in a ‘white’ education system while retaining their cultural values… are you saying that Aboriginal people are incapable of doing the same?
Posted by Mattofact, Monday, 21 April 2008 6:03:45 PM
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Yes. That's why President George W. Bush is called a Neanderthal! Because you live in the most advanced society in the history of all history!

See http://www.google.com.au/search?q=Neanderthal+george+bush&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Next why don't you search some less nice terms?
Posted by Richard_, Monday, 21 April 2008 7:52:54 PM
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Mattofact typifies the bloody-minded response of the Howard era and it's another Tory red herring. What he suggests bears no relation to what Jan Ferguson is saying. If you actually read it, she clearly says that what we've tried to keep doing plainly hasn't worked and one of the factors is a complete and utter failure to engage Aboriginal families in the enterprise. Culture will always be part of the main game for this particular colonised group, whether or not it is for immigrants from Asian countries. I suspect, however, that the dominant paradigm doesn't undermine the efforts of Asian parents to retain their own culture, even if many insist on demonising similar efforts from Muslim parents whether they're fom Asia, the Middle East or Africa.
Posted by Ngapaki, Monday, 21 April 2008 8:06:37 PM
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Has anyone done research into which Aboriginals end up happier, healthier and more fulfilled -- those who stay with their family groups in the midst of their culture or those who leave them behind and attempt to integrate into Western society? No? Why am I not surprised?

By imposing a toxic 'culture' on people who don't have the education to know any better we provide a vast industry full of job opportunities for people like the author; but letting Aboriginals integrate doesn't provide any opportunities for anyone but the Aboriginals themselves.

Outback Aboriginals are no worse off than whites living on welfare in remote settlements in hostile territory. The only difference is that most of the whites have left; most of the Aboriginals don't seem to be able to. The most important thing we can teach them for their own welfare is "Get out and get a job!".
Posted by Jon J, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 7:38:09 AM
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Of course learning about Aborigines is valuable. I strongly support World History and Comparative Religion being taught right the way through school. But if choices must be made ancient Greece, Rome, and China are far more important and relevant for Australian school children than those halcyon days of yam farming and gathering witchety grubs.

The "Indigenous" group at the 20/20 Summit was a scandal. Jackie Huggins is a good bird and was an appropriate Chair for that committee. But given the horrific and unacceptable prognosis of children living in many remote communities, what did these six-figure salaried jet-setting carpet baggers bang on about? "Self-determination" and treaties! Newsflash! Aborigines have as much “self-determination” as any other Australian. It is called running for parliament and voting in elections.

Contrary to this group being informed by "blackfella education" we had the usual misunderstood and plagiarised nonsense from mid twentieth century Parisienne intellectuals that dribbles from these academics! "genocide," "the Other," "UN human rights" blah, blah, blah. Hardly concepts from blackfella epistemology and metaphysics.

If uniquely aboriginal industry structures and companies can make enough money to sustain their “self determination” perhaps we should seriously address this possibility. Until then they should face up to the REAL issues..
Posted by John Greenfield, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 10:08:26 AM
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Ngapaki typifies the empty-minded attitude of the left (sorry, couldn’t help it). Again, the idea that Aboriginal people are unable to learn and succeed outside of there cultural environment it absolute nonsense, I mean please, lets be rational.
The failure of large sections of the Aboriginal community to succeed academically is not because of the complete and utter failure to engage Aboriginal families in the enterprise but it is a result of the complete and utter failure of many Aboriginal families to engage the education system.
This is not because there is nothing in the school room, culturally, to attract them but because there is a lack of educational imperative within Aboriginal culture. It is the culture itself that is the problem just as it was in many (white) areas of southern America whose occupants largely stemmed from the pre- enlightened ‘Celtic fringe’ (i.e. Scotland and Northern England) whose culture did not view education as an imperative. I am not attacking Aboriginal culture but am saying that it does not teach young Aboriginal people the maths, science, and English abilities that that they will need to succeed, ‘white’ education is the only method that can do this properly and many successful Aboriginal people today are testament to this fact.
Get the ideology out of your head Ngapaki and look at the issue rationally.
Posted by Mattofact, Tuesday, 22 April 2008 10:33:13 AM
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