Minister launches Indigenous Higher Education Council Report
Tuesday, 18 July 2006
The Federal Minister for Education Science and Training, Hon Julie Bishop today launched the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council's (IHEAC) report ' Improving Indigenous Outcomes and Enhancing Indigenous Culture and Knowledge in Australian Higher Education'. The report also includes the outcomes of the IHEAC 2005 Conference titled, 'Education-led recovery of Indigenous capacity: reshaping the policy agenda', and the IHEAC Strategic Plan 2006-2008. The reforms and initiatives in the report aim to substantially improve the quality of Indigenous peoples’ participation in higher education as staff and students, and puts forward the overarching recommendation that:
'A major national project be undertaken to investigate and report on Indigenous education initiatives and strategies in higher education that are successful in improving access and rates of retention and completion'.
The IHEAC report also makes 35 specific recommendations in these seven priority areas:
- Encourage universities to work with schools and TAFE colleges and other registered training organisations to build pathways and raise levels of aspiration and confidence of Indigenous students.
- Develop a concerted strategy to improve the level of Indigenous undergraduate enrolment.
- Improve the level of Indigenous postgraduate enrolment, enhance Indigenous research and increase the number of Indigenous researchers.
- Improve the rates of success, retention and completion for Indigenous students.
- Enhance the prominence and status of Indigenous culture, knowledge and studies on campus.
- Increase the number of Indigenous people working in Australian universities.
- Improve the participation of Indigenous people in university governance and management.
One of the critical issues addressed by the IHEAC report under priority area (2.) is the current steady decline in Indigenous student commencements since 2000.
"Despite some advances, Indigenous people remain significantly under-represented in Australian higher education. The number of Indigenous students commencing higher education rose steadily throughout the 1990s but dropped significantly in 2000 and has fluctuated since". Source: IHEAC Report.
The NTEU National Indigenous Officer Mr Joel Wright believes these declines have been bought about by changes to Indigenous student income support (ABSTUDY) introduced between 2000 and 2003. The IHEAC also identified the changes as a major concern.
"Changes to ABSTUDY with the aim of aligning the means tests and payment rates with those of Youth Allowance and Newstart took effect from 1 January 2000. There was a sharp decline in higher education Indigenous enrolments in 2000 and ABSTUDY recipient numbers in higher education declined significantly in 2002 and 2003 (DEST, 2004). It is likely that both the means test and the payment rates need urgent reconsideration".
Source: IHEAC Report.
One of the most significant changes was the abolition of the Student Supplementary Financial Support Scheme (SFSS) which provided students in receipt of ABSTUDY or AUSTUDY with loans to pay for additional living and education costs associated with university study.
Figure (1.) demonstrates that in the years prior to the abolition of the loans, the number of commencing Indigenous students had been steadily increasing from 7,342 in 2001 to 8,871 in 2002 and then to 8,998 in 2003.
Figure (1.)
Source: DEST 2005.
The figures for 2005 are enrolments as of the 30th June 2005 only.
The 'loans scheme' was abolished in April 2003 after which there was an almost immediate decline of 12.1% in Indigenous student commencements in 2004 (7,902) and in 2005, based on half yearly figures, an 11% decline is already evident. Thus since 2003, we have 1,955 less Indigenous commencements representing a decline of 21.8%.
"While the abolition of these loans have reduced the available financial support to all students, declines in the Indigenous student cohort have been the most significant. The Federal Government in abolishing the loans did not provide any replacement program to offset the loss of financial support. This in addition to increases in HECS fees, is for many students, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, the difference between being able to go to University or not, Mr Wright said.
"The flattening in the growth in Indigenous access to higher education throughout the 2000s and the decline in male commencing students are serious issues. The IHEAC asks the federal government and universities to develop a concerted strategy to raise the overall level of undergraduate participation, especially in the higher status institutions and fields of study".
Source: IHEAC Report.
"It is critical that these recommendations are taken seriously not only by the State and Federal Governments but also by Australian Universities". Unless there is an urgent co-ordinated and complimentary response to these recommendations, we will see Indigenous university student numbers continue to decline", said Mr Wright.
For more information contact:
Mr Joel Wright
NTEU Indigenous Officer,
(IHEAC Observer)
03 9254 1910
For the full release, including the graph, click here