There are several facts I should disclose. I went to a variety of Public schools. My children (5) all went to Private schools. I was a
fairly lowly paid worker.
Two of my sons went a private school which has had Aboriginal Students since the 1940's originally privately sponsored starting with 3 and 1 sponsor,an old boy. Currently, there are about 40 Aboriginal boys on school funded scholarships, each covering the entire considerable cost from tuition to uniforms.
Why would private schools be better equipped to do this? Thay are usually boarding schools. Where else could equal facilities for accomodation be found with a ready made family including other Aboriginal boys. My boys lived within 20 minutes drive and loved the life.They chose it when offered

There are several facts I should disclose. I went to a variety of Public schools. My children (5) all went to Private schools. I was a
fairly lowly paid worker.
Two of my sons went a private school which has had Aboriginal Students since the 1940's originally privately sponsored starting with 3 and 1 sponsor,an old boy. Currently, there are about 40 Aboriginal boys on school funded scholarships, each covering the entire considerable cost from tuition to uniforms.
Why would private schools be better equipped to do this? Thay are usually boarding schools. Where else could equal facilities for accomodation be found with a ready made family including other Aboriginal boys. My boys lived within 20 minutes drive and loved the life.

There is a brilliant article by Anthony Dillon in today's Australian:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/aboriginal-industry-muddies-the-waters/story-e6frgd0x-1226798495552#mm-premium

The one concern that I have about tens of thousands of indigenous university graduates is that many go straight into the Indigenous Industry, some, usually friends and croneys of those already there, into the first-level of the Industry, teaching Indigenous Studies to non-Indigenous students, and many more into what might be called second-level Industrial jobs, as social workers, administrators, etc.

My hope is that more and more Indigenous graduates will be in fields which don't lend themselves to being corrupted in this way, so that more and more people build their careers in mainstream employment, as geologists, accountants, nurses and teachers working across their field and not just in Indigenous 'health' or Indigenous 'education'.

Hopefully, by 2020, when there could be well over fifty thousand graduates, the great majority will be going into mainstream employment, Perhaps to their surprise, they will find that they are still Indigenous, perhaps even more strongly so - but that they are also human beings, graduates, Australians as well.

Apartheid is alive and well in the Indigenous Industry, in fact, it is its back-bone, its rationale. I look forward to its demise.

Joe
www.firstsources.info