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Australian Advisory Council on Languages and Mar 90 Awareness DOCUMENT RESUME ED 355 757 FL 020 601 AUTHOR Riley-Mundine, Lynette; Roberts, Bryn TITLE Review of National Aboriginal Languages Program. Occasional Paper Number 5. INSTITUTION Australian Advisory Council on Languages and Multicultural Education, Canberra. PUB DATE Mar 90 NOTE 117p. PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative/Feasibility (142) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Australian Aboriginal Languages; *Cultural Awareness; *Curriculum Development; Foreign Countries; *Indigenous Populations; Instructional Materials; Language Research; *Language Role; Material Development; National Programs; *Native Language Instruction; Policy Formation; Program Descriptions; Program Design; Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; Public Policy; Resource Allocation; Uncommonly Taught Languages IDENTIFIERS *Australia; National Aboriginal Languages Program (Australia) ABSTRACT This review of Australia's National Aboriginal Languages Program, undertaken in September-November 1989, involved consultation with individuals in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organizations and communities in several areas. It was found that 56% of 1988-89 funding went to Aboriginal communities and regional language centers, 20% to state schools, 5% to independent aboriginal schools, 2% to Catholic schools, ani the remainder to institutions, private companies, and individuals. The program currently assists 91 Aboriginal languages, with over 5,000 people benefitting directly or indirectly. Achievements, still in the early stages at the time of the review, included educational and linguistic materials development, greater teacher recognition of student difficulties, increased student pride in language learning and community support for related projects, better student retention, greater opportunities for cross-cultural learning, and greater appreciation of Aboriginal language and culture. Problems included funding and resource allocation difficulties, staffing shortfalls, inadequate awareness and school administrative support in some cases, differential quality and quantity of materials developed, lack of appropriate public policy, and administrative Jrganization. Proposals are made for Aboriginal language policy, regional representation, additional regional language centers, funding, community involvement, curriculum development, staff training, and research. Program data and descriptions and notes on the study's methodology are appended. (MSE) *************************************4***************Y.***************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** A ACLAME Ar REVIEW OF NATIONAL ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES PROGRAM Lynette Riley - Mundine Bryn Roberts AACLAME OCCASIONAL PAPER NO. 5 MARCH 1990 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Olt - or Educational Research and Improvement -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY CENTER (ERIC) A106his document has been reproduced es received from the person or organization BEST COPY AVAILABLE originating et 0 Mmor changes have been made to improve 0 reproduction duality Points ot view or opinions stated in this doCu. merit do not ncesearily represent °those TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES OE RI position or polity INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)... This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the AACLAME Secretariat, GPO Box 9880, Canberra, ACT, 2601 ISBN 0 642 15577 1 BEST COPYAVAILABLE .) A REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES PROGRAM BRYN ROBERTS AND LYNETTE RILEY-MUNDINE PITMAN ROBERTS AND PARTNERS, 1 MOUNT STREET,PERTH, W.A. MAY 1990 "Once upon a timepeoplewouldn'tadmit they were Aboriginal. NOW they stand up and shout they are." [Mr Andrew Pacey Gumbayngirr] "Foreigners are coming to our land and can speak their language. Why can't we speak ours?Because we've been taught to be ashamed of our language, our culture." [Mrs Shirley Foley Butchulla] REVIEW OF NATIONAL ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES PROGRAM FOREWORD TheNational AboriginalLanguages Program (NALP) is one of the programs fundedunderthe National Policy on Languages and on behalf of theAustralianAdvisoryCouncil on Languages and Multicultural Education (AACLAME) by the Department of Employment, Education and Training. Most cf these programs have beenreviewed and a report of these is available or will soon be issued. TheAustralian SecondLanguages LearningProgram (ASLLP) was reviewed by MrMossDixon andDr Anne Martin in early 1990. That report has been issued as Occasional Paper No 4. TheAdult Literacy Action Campaign was reviewed by Ernst & Young in late 1989 and is available from the International Literacy Year Secretariat (GPO Box 9880, Canberra ACT2601). AACLAME Occasional Papers also include: a) Occasional Paper No 1. Submissionto theMinister for Employment, Education and Training in response to the Green Paper on Higher Education. Submission to the Inquiry Into Asian Studies and Languages in Higher Education. AACLAMEDiscussion Paper on the possible creationof a National Institute of Languages. b) Occasional Paper No 2. Illiteracy in Melanesia: A Preliminary Report D T Tryon, ResearchSchool of Pacific Studies, AustralianNational University, 1988. c) Occasional Paper No 3. Adult Literacy Action Campaign: Projects Around Australia A review of state andterritory level adult literacy projects fundedunder the Adult Literacy Action Campaign of the National Policy on Languages. On 28 March, AACLAME held a review seminar to address the two years of work undertakento date under the National Policy on Languages. The findings of thispresent evaluationwere discussed andincorporated into theAACLAMEReport to the Minister. This will become available shortly. and informative I welcome this very detailed, comprehensive evaluation of NALP, commend the researchers forthe thorough way theyhave addressed their task and assureaboriginal communities and education personnel that these findings havebeen incorporatedinto AACLAME's forward planning andrecommendations to the Government. /444.0 JOSEPH LO BIANCO C ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The two principal reviewers would like to thank those people whohave giventheir timeto this review. These include the many community people, administrators, linguists, departmental officers, etc. consulted over the period of the review. A full list of places visited and people consulted is provided in the Appendix. We wouldalso like to thank Susan Guy, Researcher, of Pitman Roberts and Partners for tier commitment to the project. The Review was funded by the National Aboriginal Language Program. THE CONSULTANTS LYNETTE RILEY-MUNDINE Lynette Riley Mundine is Aboriginal Research Fellow andHead of the Aboriginal Resource Unit at the University of New England.She is a qualified teacher and is currently completing aMasters degree in Education.Lynette has a wide range of experience inthe Aboriginal and education areas including curriculum planning, resource evaluation, staff training and policydevelopment. She has co-written four books including "Black Australia" and"Colonial Australia" and haspresented and published numerous papers, including one on Aboriginal Language Maintenance. BRYN ROBERTS Bryn Roberts is a Partner at Pitman Roberts. He is aqualified teacher, has a Master of Arts degree and has recently completed his Doctorate in Education. Bryn has a wide range of experiencein the Aboriginal area which includes consultancy work inhealth, education, prisons, law, tourism, language, fashion, the arts and business. He has written numerous books and is the authorof "Aborigines in Business". He grew up in a bilingual bicultural environmentand taught in a bilingual school in Far North Queensland. 3 PREFACE This review of the National Aboriginal Languages Program (NALP) some two years after its inception has been requested by the Ministerfor Employment, Education and Training, theHonorable John Dawkins. Its purpose is to establish factors whichcontribute to the success or failure ofAboriginal language education projects funded throughNALP, with a view to incorporatingthese activities into the planning stages following the implementation of theNationalAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander EducationPolicy [AEP]. NALP is administered by the Department of Employment, Education and Training [DEET] which is reviewing all its Aboriginal programs as part of the current developments of the AEP. The review was conducted over an eightweekperiod in September/November 1989. 35 organisations and communities in Western Australia, SouthAustralia, Queensland, New SouthWales and the Northern Territory were visited. 176 community members, councillors, language workers, students, teachers, school principals, academics, linguists, administrators, public servants and five NALP Panel memberswere consulted. A draft report was submitted for comment in December 1989 andthe final report completed in January1990. A review of the final report was undertaken and completed in May 1990. CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1 . The National Policy on Languages . The Australian Advisory Council on Languages and Multicultural Education [AACLAME] 1 2 . The National Aboriginal Languages Program [NALP] 3 . AACLAME and NALP . The NationalAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy [AEP] 6 6 . The AEP and NALP CHAPTER 2. NALP'S ACHIEVEMENTS 8 9 . Distribution of Funds 11 . Number of Languages Assisted 11 . Number of People Assisted
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