Victorian Aboriginal Education Association tells Yoorrook it wants to see Aboriginality in state curriculum

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association wants to see changes to the school curriculum and teachers held to a higher standard when it comes to Indigenous education.

Geraldine Atkinson arrives to address the Victorian parliament in Melbourne Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association wants the school curriculum to be changed to recognise Aboriginality, saying that remnants of the state’s historical colonial and exclusionary practices in the education system are seen today through episodes of racism and segregation in schools.

VAEAI president Geraldine Atkinson told the Yoorrook Justice Commission that there was “no doubt” historic practices had led to unfair disadvantage for Koori students.

She said segregation was still occurring today, and Indigenous kids had been sent off to schools that dealt with behavioural problems. “There shouldn’t be somewhere where they can just shut them off and leave them there, there has to be work that has to be done,” she said. “So things like that haven’t changed, they just call it different names.

“We continue to see remnants of these practices from episodes of racism, exclusion and segregation.”

The peak body’s general manager, Lionel Bamblett, said in his evidence that he sought to work with the state government to ensure Aboriginality was in the school curriculum. “We know (racism) exists, we know it’s out there, we deal with it, as an Aboriginal person we deal with it everyday. And that’s why you enter into a partnership … we’re not in a partnership because we want to be a partner with a non-Aboriginal government but for the simple reason that allows us to walk through the door and talk to the system about the need for greater education involvement in our community.”

VAEAI vice-president Mark Rose told the truth-telling body that there had been some progress, but the wanted to see teachers held to a higher standard when it came to Indigenous education.

“We’ve moved from a whitewashed curriculum into one that’s got colour, tone and context,” Professor Rose said.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan gives evidence before the Yoorrook Justice Commission in April. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

“Non-Indigenous teachers say they are the outcome of being deprived from Indigenous perspective in their own personal education.”

In its written submission to the commission, VAEAI said the Victorian education system was designed to teach students ideological values and systems of Europeans, and that missionaries “held the view” they were responsible for the education of First Nations people. “The origins of the education system in Victoria were designed with the exclusion of Koori communities in mind. This supported dispossession and dislocation and was crucial within the establishment of missions.

Commission members, Kevin Bell KC, left, Sue-Anne Hunter, Eleanor Bourke, Travis Lovett and Maggie Walter. Picture: Brianna Young /Y oorrook Justice Commission.

“It also reinforced the imposed class dynamics that had been established by settlers further restricting the agency of Koori communities within and beyond the classroom.”