Written by Alessio Manto
Introduction
Australia’s education standards are celebrated as among the best among OECD countries. Regarding international standards, Australian students perform well in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and achieve above fellow OECD countries. Aspects that are highly rewarded are the country’s goals of ‘’high equity’’ and ‘’high equality.’’ [i]
However, recent reports and declarations by the Australian Ministry of Education raise specific concerns about the country’s challenges. The OECD’s Programme of International Students Assessment of 2015 already highlighted that social segregation in Australia is amongst the highest in the world. Australia has the 8th highest social segregation rate out of seventy-one countries and the 4th highest in the OECD. [iii] Factors contributing to these numbers are entrenched in Australia’s unique history. This country faced intense colonial domination that impacted the Aboriginals, the first settlers in the country. Unfortunately, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders (the two Indigenous groups in the country) are victims of high segregation in educational settings, including information and cultural barriers and overall stigma.
Individuals from these groups score remarkably lower than their classmates, with Australia still missing a plan to make them feel included in the educational system. Interestingly, the overall education achievements in Australia are declining, especially in maths and literacy. Research highlights that these poor results are often connected with socio-economic disadvantage and poor mental health. Hence, the next challenge for Australian policymakers is to diminish social inequalities, create screening programs and include the most vulnerable groups in education. These goals must be achieved while keeping in mind the unique Australian landscape, which is characterised by significant differences but at the same time has incredible human and economic resources.
The Challenges in Australian Schools Along Indigenous Lines
Challenges and Factors Affecting the Education of Indigenous Groups
Australia is characterised by a unique cultural, geographical, and socioeconomic heritage, which has a decisive impact on the country’s education landscape. For example, Australia’s vast regions in remote areas face challenges in providing education with limited resources and a lack of specialised support.[iv] These regions are vastly inhabited by different Indigenous groups that, according to various research, suffer the most prominent educational challenges in the country and have a significant education gap with non-Indigenous groups.
The National Assessment Program—Literacy of Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for all Australian students in years 3,5,7, and 9. It provides a national report on students’ abilities, with data used to formulate curricula and implement further education policies.[v] According to the 2024 NAPLAN results, persistent inequalities and challenges exist among disadvantaged students. Notable achievement gaps are present between Indigenous and non-indigenous students at the year 9 level, raising the alarm about the effectiveness of current educational strategies.[vi] Looking at the NAPLAN National result of 2024, on average, across all domains, Indigenous groups need additional support in proficiency level; they score less in each skill, including writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and numeracy, and their participation rate is substantially lower.[vii]
The factors causing lower outcomes among Indigenous groups are diverse and complex, and have been classified in research by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). These can be classified into five main groups:
- Disengagement caused by living in remote areas
- Socio-Economic Disadvantages
- Informational Barriers
- Cultural Barriers
- Abuse and Dysfunctional families[viii]
These factors can further be classified as internal (inside the school) and external (outside the school). Starting with external factors, informational barriers, for example, affect Indigenous groups due to the lower levels of English literacy within their communities, causing challenges in education compared to native speakers.
Living in remote areas is another external factor that challenges educational outcomes; various research has demonstrated that it enhances the risk of school absenteeism, with very remote areas (mainly inhabited by Aborigines) with almost 10 per cent higher absenteeism compared to students living close to urban areas.
Moving to socio-economic disadvantages, the most troubled area pertains to the region of Queensland, which is highly inhabited by Indigenous groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. In this region, it is evidenced that the indigenous groups face difficulties accessing the costs of schools. ACER highlights the connection between socio-economic disadvantage and increased levels of school absenteeism, significantly higher than in other Australian regions. [ix]
Abuse and dysfunctional families are the last external factors hurdling a satisfactory right to education for Indigenous communities. Research shows that Indigenous children are more likely to experience family violence, mental health issues, overcrowded housing, and juvenile detention; all factors inhibiting successful learning.
The Initiatives of the Australian Government
In 2023, Australia’s Federal Minister of Education, Mr Jason Clare, affirmed that the Indigenous community is three times more likely to fall behind at school.[xi] In light of this declaration, the government of Australia, in the latest review of the National School Reform Agreement (a governmental report examining the efficacy of national educational policies), expressed the necessity to satisfy the learning needs and academic aspirations of students coming from unique backgrounds.
In the report, the Indigenous Education Consultative Meeting expressed the necessity to reshape the cultural labelling of Indigenous students as disadvantaged, since it further creates low expectations of students’ abilities and stigma. The Consultative Group expresses that even if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders face various complex circumstances; they are not inherently disadvantaged by being Indigenous.
To adjust the educational expectations of such groups to their learning needs and aspirations, the government of Australia suggests adopting a person-centred approach, focusing on the quality of the individual rather than the specific group background. Other strategies to integrate Indigenous groups involve creating culturally responsive curricula to increase inclusion engagement and mutual respect between different groups. [xii]
In addition, since 2021, the government has created a system to provide study grants based on the number of undergraduate students coming from low socio-economic backgrounds and Indigenous students. Providers will then use these funds for specific activities tailored to students’ needs. [xiii]
The Challenge of ‘’Underachieving’’ Students
Recent reports indicate that issues related to poor academic performance in Australian schools are a widespread problem, which does not only affect Indigenous groups. [xiv] Throughout 2023 and 2024, about one in three school students fell short of minimum literacy expectations. According to the latest OECD Programme for International Student Assessment, a significant gap persists between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Sixty percent of disadvantaged students are not proficient, compared to twenty-five percent of their advantaged peers. [xv]
OECD believes that after 10 or more years of school, these students lack the reading skills to participate adequately in the workforce and be productive citizens. The worst data is in mathematics, where around 57000 Australian 15-year-olds fail to achieve international baseline levels. With such results, these students will lack sufficient mathematical knowledge to have an adequate life beyond school. [xvi]
As the Australian Council for Research (ACER) correctly points out, trajectories of low achievement often begin before school. Differences observed by year three often persist and widen in later educational stages, leading to lower cognitive, language, social, physical, and emotional development in subsequent years. This suggests that some children may need tailored support due to developmental delays and special needs, which are often linked to a disadvantaged socio-economic background. [xvii]
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the OECD, confirms the correlation between low school performance and disadvantaged backgrounds. This programme assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in mathematics, reading, and science. The PISA index of economic, social, and cultural status shows that socio-economically advantaged students outperformed disadvantaged students by 25%, with 101 score points in mathematics, slightly above the OECD average (93). [xviii]
The Australian government’s policy response to the challenge of underachievement in schools has been to set higher standards and hold students and teachers accountable. The curricula have been expanded with specific standards students must meet, with an E to an A grading system. However, this strategy seems to be fallacious as it does not tackle the factors causing students to perform poorly. The only new expectation posed by the government is having stringent arrangements. However, such measures are not likely to solve pre-existing issues, requiring new policy strategies. [xix]
Addressing the Challenges in Australian Education
Education Strategies and Policy Plans for Indigenous Groups
When discussing Indigenous groups, several educational challenges have been identified. Two central issues are disengagement and socio-economic disadvantages, along with informational and cultural barriers and higher rates of family abuse. Australia needs to consider developing new measures to address these specific challenges.
For instance, allocating funds for remote schools is crucial to ensure Indigenous students have access to education. The high absenteeism rates also call for partnerships with schools to track absenteeism in real time and incentivize school participation through student rewards.
Moreover, Indigenous communities’ involvement in education must include their active participation in policymaking. This means including new members with Indigenous backgrounds and specific knowledge on tackling informational and cultural barriers in the Education Advisory Board. Class activities should be interactive, allowing Indigenous individuals to share their values and educational strengths within the group rather than forcing them to adapt to an unfamiliar context.
To facilitate this, the government needs to create study programs tailored for Indigenous students, enabling them to learn their language in a more natural setting.
- Education and Policy Plans for Underachieving Students
The Australian government’s answer to this challenge is to develop new curricula to improve student achievements and overall education standards. However, Broken Chalk finds it crucial to tackle premature trajectories of low achievement. These may depend on a variety of factors, including socioeconomic disadvantages and mental health issues. Consequently, Broken Chalk deems it necessary to implement early screening interventions in Australia to discover any developmental delays in preschool-aged children.
Furthermore, to tackle the existing math and literacy challenges, Broken Chalk suggests launching a program offering supplemental math and literacy classes in the schools requiring the most support. To diminish the socio-economic disparities that, as discussed, represent one of the leading factors in education gaps, the government can develop policies to reduce inequalities, such as giving free school meals and transportation and motivating students with new extracurricular learning.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The overall image of Australian education is encouraging, with a firm structure, an active government, and economic resources. However, Australia must solve its socio-cultural dilemma to attract new creativity, originality, and identity inputs. Achieving such a goal would make Australia more compliant with its history and authenticity. Looking at Australian resources, this plan can likely be foreseeable shortly, making it one of the most interesting educational destinations.
Broken Chalk proposes some critical recommendations to enhance participation, prevent social issues, and tackle them:
- Constantly monitor improvements in literacy and numeracy through the NAPLAN and PISA results, with special attention to social and cultural factors.
- Track socio-economic and geographic disparities based on performances.
- Assess early development indicators for the most disadvantaged families.
- Evaluate mental health and engagement through surveys and based on the results, develop local and regional strategies.
- Create on-campus counselling support for tracking possible abuses that students may face in their family environment.
- Enhance cultural inclusion by inserting Indigenous history and language in the curricula.
- Offer mentorship programs to Indigenous students with elders that would strengthen the importance of participation and education.
- Provide specific courses for teachers and classes on cultural awareness to avoid social segregation in classes.
Refences
[i] Geoff N. Masters, ‘’Policy Insights: Five Challenges in Australian School Education’’, Australian Council for Educational Research: 2016, 1, https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=policyinsights
[ii] Kate Felton, “Education Minister: Australian education urgently needs practical reform’’, Education Matters, April 20, 2023, accessed 20 January 2025, https://www.educationmattersmag.com.au/education-minister-australian-education-urgently-needs-practical-reform/
[iii] State School Teachers Union of West Australia, ‘’Social Segregation in Australian Schools is Amongst the Highest in the World,’’ accessed 20 January 2025, https://www.sstuwa.org.au/research/social-segregation-australian-schools-amongst-highest-world
[iv] Therese M Cumming, Jennifer L Lolly and Aaron Saint-James, ‘’Australia at an educational crossroads: special schools and inclusive education.’’ Front. Educ.: 2024, 1, 10.3389/feduc.2024.1422089
[v] Matrix Blog, ‘’What Does My Child’s NAPLAN Report Mean?’’, Matrix Education, accessed 20 January 2025, https://www.matrix.edu.au/what-does-my-childs-naplan-report-mean/#:~:text=NAPLAN%20is%20used%20to%20provide,%2C%20grammar%2C%20punctuation%20and%20numeracy.
[vi] Evrim Ağacı Article
[vii] Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, ‘’ NAPLAN National Results’’, accessed 20 January 2025, https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/naplan-national-results
[viii] Tony Dreise, Gina Milgate, Bill Perrett and Troy Meston, “ Policy Insights: Indigenous School Attendance: Creating Expectations that are ‘Really High’ and ‘Highly Real’ “, Australian Council for Educational Research:2016, 1.
[ix] Toni Dreise et al. Policy Insights Article
[x] Toni Dreise et al. Policy Insights Article
[xi] Kate Felton Article
[xii] Productivity Commission 2022, ‘’ Review of the National School Reform Agreement: Interim Report”, (Canberra: Australian Government, 2022) 1.
[xiii] OECD(2023), ‘’Education policy outlook in Australia”, OECD Education Policy Perspectives, No.67, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ce7a0965-en.
[xiv] Amy Haywood, ‘’ Australia’s Forgotten Education Problem”, Grattan Institute, December 2, 2024, accessed 20 January 2025, https://grattan.edu.au/news/australias-forgotten-education-problem/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20latest%20OECD,with%2025%20per%20cent%20of; Bianca de Marchi, ‘’ NAPLAN results again show 1 in 3 students don’t meet minimum standards. These kids need more support’’, The Conversation, August 13, 2024, accessed 20 January 2025, https://theconversation.com/naplan-results-again-show-1-in-3-students-dont-meet-minimum-standards-these-kids-need-more-support-236688
[xv] Grattan Institute Article
[xvi] Geoff N Masters Article
[xvii] Geoff N Masters Article
[xviii] OECD (2023), PISA 2022 Results (Volume I): The State of Learning and Equity in Education, PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/53f23881-en.
[xix] Geoff N Masters Article