Cultural Self-Determination for Education: - Dilemma, Practice and Productivity - "Indiga-nice"Barry Malezer and Jean Searle, Gumurrii Centre, Mt Gravatt Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane. AbstractHigher education is at a critical point in time. On the one hand there is a push from older universities to be regarded as centres of excellence in research. On the other hand, universities appear to be adopting a 'human capital' or 'reform model' in response to political and economic pressure to produce 'cleverer' students who are economically more productive. As a result, while universities espouse the liberal rhetoric of equity and access to tertiary educationwhich opens the gate of knowledge for all, tertiary practice today is trapped into establishing and maintaining a production line of human capital to meet governmentand industry needs. In view of this, how much responsibility does the institution hold for student 'education' and in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students' education? Why do indigenous students take on the challenge of tertiary studies. How inclusive is tertiary practice? And, to what degree can self-determination be fostered in indigenous affairs? This paper will address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in University, specifically the practices, the rules and the middle ground of dealing with literacy and learning outcomes. |
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