University of Wollongong must retain Indigenous Health Course
10 June 1999
The National Tertiary Education Union has joined students, staff and indigenous leaders in calling on the University of Wollongong to retain the Bachelor of Health Science in Indigenous Health. The course is currently under threat as a result of Government funding cuts.
\"This is an example of a successful course which is meeting the needs of the local indigenous community\", Dr Bob Morgan, Chair of the NTEU Indigenous Tertiary Education Policy Committee said. \"The course has very high rates of success and retention, however, the University is not taking this into account in threatening that it be closed.\"
\"Indigenous Australians remain very under-represented in tertiary education. One means of addressing this is to design courses which both meet the needs of indigenous communities in terms of content and delivery. Through its delivery on weekends and its focus on indigenous health, this course addresses these issues.\"
\"The NTEU appreciates that Government funding cuts have made it hard for universities to maintain their breadth of course offerings\", Dr Carolyn Allport, NTEU National President said. \"Despite Government funding cuts, universities cannot abrogate their responsibility to ensure equitable access to tertiary education. Indigenous education must become a high priority for our universities.\"
\"The NTEU will do all it can to ensure that this course is maintained. We will continue to hold universities accountable for their mission in terms of serving the needs of equity programs and equalising access to education.\"