477
An independent community school offers the following
possibilities:
I
a locus where Aborigines are supported by each
other in the structuring and maintenance of an
Aboriginal identity
I
I
a situation where Aborigines can be the dominant
group and have a degree of autonomy
a situation which can be tailored to suit the
specific learning∕social needs of Aborigines
a situation where the education of children does
not have to separate children from parents, but
can be used as a base for parent education as
well as child education
a situation which is structured towards success
for Aborigines
a situation which encourages academic excellence
and promotes the entry of students into tertiary
education and continues to support them there
it offers a further choice of identity for
Aboriginal people in addition to those now
available
it offers a situation giving positive meaning
to identity
it provides for the development of leaders not
separated from the community
it provides a locus for Aboriginal people to
work at consciously building value systems
it provides a real basis for pride and not a
rhetorical basis
it provides for indoctrination into a system of
values
it provides a focus and a necessity and a content
for theorizing.
The Aborigines who were members of the 1975 Consultative Group
of the Schools Commission lamented that the existing schools did
not serve Aboriginal needs. The evidence is clear that students
in the group studied evinced a strong belief in the value of schooling.