Accessing education can be incredibly difficult for the children of Indigenous rangers working and living in Arnhem Land’s remote communities. This can sometimes force rangers to make the difficult decision to move to townships and cities so that their children can receive full-time education. Here, there are often fewer opportunities for work and for their children to benefit from community, culture and traditional education.Even after the establishment of the Nawarddeken Academy, living on Country remains a challenge for Nawarddeken families once their children reach high school age. Currently, the only way for children to graduate high school is to leave their ancestral lands for another larger town/city or boarding school. While some students flourish at boarding school, this option does not suit everyone and does not support a strong connection to Country.
The Nawarddeken Academy is currently registered to teach transition (prep/kindergarten) to Year 7 across Warddeken's three ranger base communities. To address this issue of educational inequality, the Nawarddeken Academy is developing a plan to formally deliver high school education in order to support working families in the IPA and to realise community aspirations for the next generation.The implementation of individual student plans will ensure all students are actively supported to pursue their interests and goals, whether they be vocational or academic. The Academy has taken the first step in this significant process by holding landowner consultations to fully understand community goals for high school education.Below you can find an outline of the steps involved to establish the Nawarddeken Academy High School.
Stage One: Late 2022 - Early 2023
Begin vocational opportunities for high school aged children, conduct consultation process for high school needs and review current students' individual education plans
Stage Two: Mid 2023
Begin remote secondary program, write and submit and application for registration with the NT Department of Education for Manmoyi and Mamadawerre High Schools.
Stage Three: Mid 2023 - 2025
Build and/or update school infrastructure, hire and deploy registered teachers, employ local teaching assistants, begin delivery of high school education
Nawarddeken Academy students on their annual bush walk
The Narwadekken Academy High School expansion is currently fully funded but if you would like to support future educational projects, please contact us at mail@kkt.org.au.
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