Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
Reconciliation and Social Justice Library
4.28 A major way in which schools have been involved in language maintenance has been through bilingual education. Children are taught in their early years of schooling mainly in their first language which, in later years, continues to be used for some of each day as a language of instruction. As the child progresses through primary school, English plays an increasingly important part until it eventually becomes the main language of instruction. However, the traditional language continues to be recognised and used in the schooling program.
4.29 The first bilingual programs were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. Prior to that, the significant number of children in Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia who spoke only an Aboriginal language were taught in English. All but a few were taught in English by non-ATSI teachers who often had little or no knowledge of the local Aboriginal language or culture. Unfortunately, there are still many areas in northern Australia where children whose first language is a traditional language are taught in English by non-ATSI teachers, eg. in the Alyawarre and Anmatyerre areas of the Northern Territory.
4.30 In December 1972 the Whitlam Government launched its policy of self-determination for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, which included a campaign to have children living in communities given primary education in community languages. By 1973 a program of bilingual education was launched in a number of schools in the Northern Territory. Experimental programs were initially introduced into five government schools in Northern Territory communities. This grew to twenty schools in 1977. There are now 25 bilingual schools in Australia. The Northern Territory has 21, and Western Australia 4. Some of these Northern Territory programs would be more accurately described as two-way rather than bilingual. There are no government schools in Western Australia with a full bilingual program. Bilingual/bicultural programs in Western Australia are in Catholic or independent community schools. South Australia had 8 bilingual schools until recently, mostly in the A n angu Pitjantjatjara Lands. At the request of Aboriginal communities, South Australian Government policy now does not support bilingual schools but instead supports domain separation or two way schooling 52
4.31 The definition used by the Commonwealth when introducing bilingual education into the Northern Territory was from the U.S Bilingual Education Act of 1967:
Bilingual Education is the use of two languages, one of which is English, as mediums of instruction for the same pupil population in a well organised program which encompasses part or all of the curriculum and includes the study of the history and culture associated with the mother tongue. A complete program develops and maintains the children's self-esteem and a legitimate pride in both cultures.
4.32 The House of Representatives Select Committee on Aboriginal Education described the benefits of bilingual education:
There are sound educational reasons for establishing literacy in the child's first language before developing literacy in English. It breaks the pupil's initial learning tasks into two: first they learn to read and write, then they begin to cope with English. The child only has to tackle one major task at a time, that of learning to read without the added burden of learning a new language at the same time. The child understands his mother tongue and therefore what he reads makes sense. Once the child knows how to read he can apply basic reading skills to learn to read in English. The child will also gain a sense of satisfaction, rather than frustration, at being able to read and express himself orally and in writing initially in his first language and later in English 53 .
4.33 Bilingual education in practice has sometimes been criticised as a transfer-to-English program. The Select Committee observed:
As with Aboriginal education generally, bilingual education reflects the tensions which exist between the acquisition of knowledge and skills to allow Aboriginal people to live without disadvantage in the wider society on the one hand, and the retention of Aboriginal culture on the other. Much debate about bilingual education has taken place between those who see bilingual education merely as an effective way of developing literacy in English ('transfer' model of bilingual education) and those who see bilingual education as being an important means of maintaining Aboriginal language and culture while also enabling the acquisition of literacy in English (a 'maintenance' model of bilingual education). 54
That committee said that the emphasis should clearly be on the maintenance model.