Year
1990
Degree Name
Master of Arts (Hons.)
Recommended Citation
Blair, Nerida, A descriptive analysis of aboriginal participation and equity issues in New South Wales higher education - a participant observer's view, Master of Arts (Hons.) thesis, , University of Wollongong, 1990. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/2262
Abstract
This Study is concerned with the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as students and staff, in higher education in New South Wales. Some traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education concepts and practices are presented as a background and focus to the more specific discussion. The study traces Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access to schooling since 1788. Schooling outcomes and participation in higher education are inextricably linked. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have not had appropriate access to schooling, and, as a result, have only recently ( during the 1980s) participated in higher education. The climate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocacy and organisation from the 1960s to the 1980s becomes the focus for presentation of a profile of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation both as students and staff in higher education. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perceptions of higher education as expressed primarily through conference reports and surveys are also discussed. Anti-discrimination legislation is analysed in the context of creating equal employment opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, thereby increasing participation. The study concludes with three potential scenarios and three strategies for more appropriate and greater access and participation in higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.