Friday’s education forum at the Garma Festival has heard the "structural racism" within current education systems in Australia called out, with governments prompted to invest in culturally-safe teaching methods.
Distinguished Professor Marcia Langton made the remarks alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar, pointing to teachers deciding to not teach Indigenous history and culture as much as they should.
The professor said “there remains a denialist approach” to frontier wars in schools and while individual teachers will approach the subject, they often get criticised for being “divisive”.
She called on the nation to remember a reform put forward in the Uluru Statement From the Heart of truth-telling.
“Our children deserve the truth, why bring them up with lies?”
Speaking from Gulkula, Ms Oscar discussed accounts from Indigenous women she heard when compiling the Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women's Voices) Securing Our Rights, Securing Our Future report.
She stated that Indigenous women and girls “are frustrated” that a lower expectation for education “is accepted” nationwide.
“There is a failure to recognise that the education system is not proving equal opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” she said.
She also stated that racist attitudes are very much “still alive” in the education system.
Ms Oscar said there is “much discussion” about weaving Indigenous culture and languages into the entire school curriculum.
But said there was still a “lack of investment from [the] government for a First Nations education system.”
She put forward the solutions of creating “culturally safe and trauma-informed teaching”, saying that would be considered “true truth-telling and reconciliation.”
“We owe this to our children and their futures,” she said.
