Infographic: progress on Indigenous education

This is a marvellous summary in graphic form of the situation with the education of Australian Indigenous children. It was prepared by staff of The Conversation
Scroll down to view full graphic presentation.
Here are some of the numbers:

• The number of Indigenous school students increased by 46.7% over the last 10 years, compared with an overall 12% increase in the number of Australian school students.
• It appears that up to 80% of Indigenous students have significant hearing loss.
• 93% of Indigenous children are enrolled in pre-school, compared to 96% of non-Indigenous, but their actual attendance rate can be much lower – an average 68%.
• Achievement of Indigenous primary school students is relatively close to that of non-Indigenous students in metro areas but much lower in remote areas.
• At secondary level, Indigenous students score significantly below the international benchmarks in maths and science and much lower than non-Indigenous students and there has been no improvement over the last decade.
• The percentage of Indigenous students participating in VET was over twice the percentage for non-Indigenous, but at lower qualification levels – Certificate I and II and non-award courses.
• The total number of Indigenous students enrolled at university almost doubled from 2006 to 2015. Of those who graduate, ¾ have full-time employment after four months.

The study does not comment on the effects of the provision of music education on Indigenous students. There are andecdotal reports of the positive effects on school attendance. We will explore whether there have been any surveys assessing other outcomes.

Author

Clair Shaw, Education Editor, The Conversation
Jamal Ben Haddou, Editorial intern, The Conversation
Wes Mountain, Deputy Multimedia Editor, The Conversation
Published 03/07/2017