Wednesday sees the sixth Utyerre Apanpe First Nations Education Forum begin in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, with more than 70 First Nations educators from across Australia coming together to reclaim knowledge and language expertise.
This year's agenda will focus on an implementation plan - to be delivered to Territory and Federal governments - for the M.K Turner report, which outlines a blueprint for First Nations-led education reform across the country.
Launched in Canberra earlier this year by a delegation of Elders, senior leaders and representatives from Children's Ground and Utyerre Apanpe (First Nations Educators Network), the report was codesigned with more than 60 Indigenous educators and is supported by strong local and international evidence, including the United Nations Declaration of Rights for Indigenous People (UNDRIP).
The report offers six recommendations and outcomes to Australian governments.
These include Australian governments committing to the establishment of a new First Nations education system; developing and supporting a First Nations education workforce; recognising and partnering with an independent national First Nations governance body to develop the new First Nations education system; supporting the teaching of First Nations languages in the new system through a new national Language of Instruction policy; and establish a comprehensive national network of First Nations language and literacy centres for every Nation/language group.
The report also calls for the establishment of the M.K Turner Institute as a national centre for First Nations knowledge, practice, research, and evaluation in the new First Nations education system.
Children's Ground First Nations language worker and Arrernte language custodian and Teacher, Carol Turner, said the current Australian education system isn't inclusive enough to "strengthen the learning, wellbeing and identity needs of our children".
"We have a 65,000-year history of how to educate our children and calls are growing to trust and support First Nations methods," she said.
"Our children have better outcomes and are stronger in life when their learning is centred in their culture, their language and their Country."
The latest NAPLAN data showed First Nations children remain behind their non-Indigenous counterparts.
These include more than three times as many Indigenous children placed in the "needs additional support" level for both numeracy and reading than non-Indigenous children.
Furthermore, a lower proportion of students in very remote schools are rated as "Strong" or "Exceeding" compared with students in major city schools.
"We do not want to see our children sitting in the back of the classroom and failing at school," Ms Turner said.
"We have given the Government our solution."
"We have First Nations education leaders in all our communities. We can advise government through our knowledge and lived experience.
"We must work together to empower our families and children so that we are succeeding in education. We want to see our young people walking proud."
Noting the NT has a new Chief Minister, and Australia a new Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ms Turner said she was looking forward to both the Territory and federal governments working with the organisation to reform First Nations education: as well as working with Utyerre Apanpe to "deliver real and meaningful outcomes for our future generations".
The 2024 Utyerre Apanpe - an Arrente word meaning connection, ties and strings back to the land - First Nations Education Forum runs from August 28-30 at the Desert Knowledge Precinct, Mparntwe/Alice Springs.
