School's in for Indigenous culture (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Monday, 19 December 2005, 10:48:21  AEDT
http://abc.net.au/message/news/stories/ms_news_1533874.htm

School's in for Indigenous culture

Planning is under way to transform East Kalgoorlie Primary School into a
specially designed Aboriginal school.

Larry Hamilton from the Education Department says he expects East
Kalgoorlie to lodge a formal request to allow it to become a Systemic
Aboriginal School.

Systemic Aboriginal Schools are designed to incorporate Indigenous
culture and language into lesson plans and teaching methods.

Mr Hamilton says if the plan is approved, East Kalgoorlie will become
only the third Systemic Aboriginal School in the state, joining one in
Bunbury and another in the Swan Valley.

He says the idea has already gained support from the parents at the
school.

"There'll be Aboriginal perspectives brought in to each of the subjects
and the way in which it's taught will acknowledge Aboriginal
perspectives of things but essentially they'll be teaching the same
curriculum and they'll be aimed at the same outcomes," he said.

The school's principal, Donna Bridge, says changing to Systemic
Aboriginal School status makes perfect sense as all of the children
currently at the school are Aboriginal.

She says to have formal recognition of this would be of great
significance to parents and staff.

"By trying to involve culture as part of the curriculum, I mean
obviously we want it in all aspects of their learning program, but
having a specific component that focuses on Indigenous culture for the
kids would really show that we value it," she said.