Plan to boost Aborigine enrolment

The number of Aborigines enrolling at university is falling and the rate at which they drop out continues to be higher than for the population as a whole, according to an Australian government report, writes Geoff Maslen in Melbourne.

Many aborigines consider enrolling on a university course later in life than other students and about a third undertake a year or more of special preparatory studies first. Fewer than one in ten indigenous students is a postgraduate compared with a quarter of white students undertaking masters and PhD degrees.

The report by the Government's Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council says that although Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders make up 2.5 per cent of the Australian population, they comprise 1.2 per cent of total domestic enrolments. Student numbers increased during the 1990s but fell sharply after the Government changed its financial support system.

The report also found that nearly 40 per cent of indigenous students failed to continue their studies compared with 22 per cent of all students.

Last week, the federal Government accepted a series of recommendations from the council to improve access for indigenous people. Julie Bishop, Education Minister, said its strategic plan identified seven key areas.

These include: universities working with schools and senior colleges to build pathways and raise aspiration levels among indigenous students; strategies to boost their enrolments at university; improve rates of success, retention and completion; enhance the status on campus of indigenous culture; and increase the number of Aborigines working in universities.

Ms Bishop announced that the Government had allocated nearly A$2 million (£820,000) to support these areas. The sum includes A$750,000 to encourage universities to develop pathways for indigenous students, A$600,000 for projects involving cross-sector collaboration and A$310,000 for research.