A Brief Overview
Over forty years ago concerns were being expressed more and more across the general community about the rights of Australia’s Aboriginal people. This ground-swell led to the establishment of community-based groups which focussed on addressing the inequities left by government short falls.
While education of Aboriginal students had occurred mainly in segregated schools attached to Aboriginal reserves, the expectation was that young Aboriginal people would serve as domestics and farm workers or labourers. Many people recognised that a different approach to education would be the key to changing attitudes in schools.
A group led by Alan Duncan, an academic from Sydney University, looked at ways to overcome the lack of educational opportunities available to Aboriginal students. This group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people formed the Aboriginal Education Council which aimed to make the same opportunities available to all students in the public school system.
The newly formed AEC worked closely with Indigenous communities to determine needs and devise projects that would be of most benefit.
A network of people from across the community worked with the educational authorities to address the problems and the deficiencies in the existing education system.
It became apparent that social issues such as health, housing and poverty impacted upon the advancement of Aboriginal students from kindergarten to tertiary level. These issues were also raised with various levels of government.
In addition as the AEC worked to raise funds for scholarships and other projects, members worked towards increasing awareness of Indigenous Australian culture.
Many of the successful projects and pilot programs initiated or supported by the AEC have gone on to become part of mainstream schooling or have been instrumental in the development and adoption of government policies.
If you have any questions or feedback for the AEC please contact us.