Class divide as Indigenous children fail to catch up at school

Indigenous children are years behind their classmates by the time they finish school – even though taxpayers spend more on their education.

Aboriginal children trail two years behind their classmates by the time they finish school – even though taxpayers spend more on their education.

A worrying new report from the Centre for independent Studies (CIS) shows that taxpayers spend 38 per cent more to educate Indigenous children, compared to other students.

Despite the extra funding, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children fall behind their classmates by Year 3 and never catch up, the study shows.

Declaring a “moral imperative’’ to close the class divide, CIS education research fellow Glenn Fahey called for the appointment of an Indigenous Education Commissioner to advise the federal government.

He said vulnerable children could benefit most from attending preschool.

Quality preschool can help close the gap for First Australian children. IndiKindi, which provides childcare in a remote Aboriginal community in Borroloola, a 13 hour drive from Darwin. Children Shonna-Lee Johnson, Christiana Rory. Picture: Wayne Quilliam

“By school-leaving age, the average Indigenous Australian student is around two and a half years behind the average non-Indigenous one,’’ he said.

 “The achievement gap persists despite Indigenous students attracting around 38 per cent more funding (per student).

“But this doesn’t appear to be contributing to greater outcomes.

“This severely limits the future educational and employment opportunities of these young learners, condemning many to prolonged economic and social disadvantage.’’

The CIS report shows that Indigenous students are twice as likely as other kids to skip school.

Only 36 per cent of Indigenous students attend high school for nine in every 10 days, compared to 66 per cent of other students.

The CIS report says a quarter of Indigenous students attend less than three in five school days, compared to 3 per cent of other students.

“Indigenous students are also more likely than their peers to be late, miss classes and miss whole days of school,’’ the report states.

Parents and students blamed the truancy on “poor teaching and failure to engage students’’, while teachers blamed “poor parental attitudes’’ and kids’ home environments, such as overcrowded housing.

Centre for Independent Studies education expert Glenn Fahey.

The CIS study shows that Aboriginal children are less likely to have parents who finished high school or held a university degree.

Most of the Indigenous students who struggled at school lived in remote areas with unemployment parents who did not speak English at home.

The CIS report shows that federal and state governments spend $4.3 billion a year schooling Indigenous students.

Taxpayer funding of Aboriginal students averaged $17,744 a year, compared to $12,860 for other students, based on 2018 data.

“However, increased funding is not always reflected in greater access to teaching resources,’’ the report states.

“Indeed, there is very little transparency that funding is ultimately delivered to schools most in need.’’

The report says funding is higher for Indigenous students because they are more likely to attend small remote schools, where more students attract extra funding for disability or poverty.

The Productivity Commission released new data on Wednesday showing that Indigenous children are 11 times more likely than other Australian kids to be put into foster care.

The Closing the Gap data also shows that Aboriginal adults are 13 times more likely to be jailed.

Originally published as Class divide as Indigenous children fail to catch up at school