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Memorandum of Understanding between Ngaanyatjarra Council (Aboriginal Corporation) and the Department of Education and Training (Western Australia) |
| Date: | 17 October 2001 | |
| Sub Category: | Memorandum of Understanding |
| Place: | Central Desert region |
|
| State/Country: | Western Australia, Australia |
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| The NEA covers about 1,000 square kilometres in the remote Central Desert region of Western Australia, near the borders of South Australia and the Northern Territory. It includes the towns of Warburton and Warakurna, as well as 10 schools (DET 2007; LLISC 2003: 3). |
| Alternative Names: | Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Education and Training and Ngaanyatjarra Council (Aboriginal Corporation)
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| Subject Matter: | | Education |
| Summary Information: | |
The Memorandum of Understanding between Ngaanyatjarra Council (Aboriginal Corporation) and the Department of Education and Training (Western Australia) (the MOU) was signed by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Alan Carpenter, and Lizzie Ellis, Harvey Murray and Edgar Lane on 17 October 2001.
The MOU established the Ngaanyatjarra Education Area (NEA), which is a discrete education area in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands (see Ngaanyatjarra Council 2003:66). It also established the Ngaanyatjarra Education Area Council (NEAC) in order to promote partnership between the Ngaanyatjarra Council and the Western Australian Department of Education and Training regarding joint management of education programs and services. The objectives of the NEAC are based on 'shared responsibility, maximising the participation of Aboriginal people at all levels, achieving improved educational outcomes, joint acknowledgment of resource constraints and working within state budgetary processes, and training and skilling of Aboriginal students and employees' (Carpenter 2003: 4556).
The Ngaanyatjarra Council (2003: 66-67) states that the MOU 'details broad-ranging objectives and functions for the NEAC and the NEA Directors and prioritises the provision of a culturally appropriate curriculum, early childhood education and the development of secondary and post-secondary education programs and training and capacity building for adult community members who are associated with the school communities in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands.'
The MOU followed from a meeting held by the Ngaanyatjarra Land Council in March 1999 concerning poor educational attainment in the area, as well as a lack of education pathways for secondary school students (Carpenter 2001: 4556). It has been described as the first of its kind in terms of Australian agreements (in Carpenter 2001: 4556). |
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