18 September 2017: Declining literacy results in primary school-aged Indigenous children and the need to foster a love of reading to ensure better long-term outcomes will be the focus of the University of Canberra’s 2017 Ngunnawal Lecture TOMORROW.
Award-winning Wiradjuri author, social commentator and Postdoctoral Fellow at the University, Dr Anita Heiss will deliver this year’s lecture.
Dr Heiss will use the occasion to not only highlight the stark contrast in reading ability between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their non-Indigenous peers, but her involvement in the process to help change that, through community-focused literacy projects.
Dr Heiss, who is part of the University’s Collaborative Indigenous Research Initiative, said there was an intrinsic link between being literate and getting the best out of life.
“The key to self-determination is the ability to make life decisions for oneself,” she said. “And to do that in Australia, you must be literate in the English language.
“NAPLAN results released last year show that Indigenous children are sliding further behind their non-Indigenous counterparts, placing them at risk of not having the same opportunities to succeed.”
Dr Heiss is a Lifetime Indigenous Literacy Foundation Ambassador – a role that has intensified her passion in the area.
She notes that only a quarter of Indigenous Year 5 students in very remote areas are at or above national minimum reading standards, compared to 91 per cent for non-Indigenous students, according to 2016 National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results.
The 2017 Closing the Gap report shows there has been no overall improvement in Indigenous literacy (and numeracy) rates since 2008.
As an author, Dr Heiss believes it is her responsibility to assist in the creation of resources that encourage Aboriginal people to read.
She achieved this in spades through her latest offering, Apmere Atyenhe Ltyentye Apurte (Our Home Santa Teresa), which will be launched at the lecture.
Dr Heiss collaborated with a group of primary school children to produce a collection of work illustrating their own life experiences. She said the process fostered a sense of belonging and ignited their interest in reading, which is an important step in encouraging young people to read.
“It’s not rocket science – Aboriginal kids need to see themselves on the pages of books if we are to foster an interest in reading, especially in settings where books have not been part of the home environment,” she said.
“What better way to nurture a love of reading while improving literacy than by including children in the process of creating literature.”
Dr Heiss said the collaborative project demonstrated success in community outreach and engagement by bringing children into the creative process of storytelling as well as building their capacity to develop new skills.
Contact the University of Canberra media team:
Antony Perry: 0434 795 919
Claudia Doman: 0408 826 362