Federal failures cited as hopes fade of closing education gap

THE target to halve the gap in literacy and numeracy between black and white schoolchildren is destined for failure, according to a report that reveals one-quarter of NSW indigenous students are failing to achieve minimum targets.

THE target to halve the gap in literacy and numeracy between black and white schoolchildren is destined for failure, according to a report that reveals one-quarter of NSW indigenous students are failing to achieve minimum targets.

The Centre for Independent Studies report, released today, blames indigenous-specific federal education policies for the long-term failure to lift the performance of Aboriginal children, despite intensive resources being poured into the effort to raise standards. Report authors Helen Hughes and Mark Hughes have examined the results of the National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy, and concluded that COAG targets in indigenous education will never be reached. Parity in black and white education is instead predicted to take a generation to achieve.

In NSW, the state with the most indigenous students -- 52,000 -- a quarter were failing to meet minimum standards and millions of taxpayers' dollars had been wasted on indigenous-specific education programs. "In four years there has been negligible literacy and numeracy improvement for a significant minority of indigenous students in NSW schools," the report's authors said.

"While the overwhelming majority of indigenous students in NSW pass NAPLAN literacy and numeracy tests, the worst performing students' results are not improving."

Queensland had shown the most improvement in NAPLAN, followed by WA. These were the only states on track to meet COAG targets by 2018.

But the report also struck out at COAG, declaring the mechanism of using overarching federal deals to set targets in reducing disadvantage had shifted the onus away from state education departments, who held primary responsibility for the performance of students.

"The replacement of the competitive federalism of commonwealth, state and territory education departments by a maze of other COAG organisations, agreements, partnerships and reports has not been effective," the report said.

"The information flowing to ministers for education, other parliamentarians, and voters from COAG organisations verges on duplicity. State and territory education departments continue to pursue failed policies confident that they will not be exposed as neglecting their primary task, which is to deliver the same high education outcomes for all students."

The report said resourcing for indigenous education was adequate, with no evidence to show that funding was linked to poor outcomes.

The solution lay in quality teaching and the imposition of mainstream standards, the report said, recommending that principals be given power to hire and fire and manage budgets.

The report said expectations for attendance and education must change for welfare-dependent families.

The report comes as a report commissioned by the Victorian government showed that an Aboriginal school initiative known as Koori Pathways Schools was failing to provide value for money, with continuing low attendance and no improvement in results.