Indigenous Literacy Day is an opportunity for governments and organisations to promote the work they are doing to improve Indigenous literacy rates. It is in that sense about raising the profile of Indigenous literacy programs around the country and, crucially, a fundraising exercise to support them.
There is nothing wrong with that. It is how many a 'national day' works. I'm usually happy to support such endeavours with a few Facebook 'Likes' or retweets, the occasional pro bono speech or workshop, or even an impromptu fundraising event.
As a former primary teacher, I have seen the importance of literacy programs for our young people, and the joy and power that comes from learning to read, especially for older students who thought they would never get to read.
I have also arrived at the unmistakable conclusion that schools, on the whole, are failing Indigenous students, families and communities, and just as often as not, blaming them for it. If schools were given adequate support, resourcing, staffing and training to better cater for the needs and interests of Indigenous students and families, there would hardly be any need to mark Indigenous Literacy Day.
While I support many of the existing literacy programs, I think it is also important to look for the voices of families, students and practitioners, amidst the buzz and fervour generated on such occasions. Without dismissing the wonderful work being done by numerous organisations, a simple question still needs to be asked: Isn't it the government's fundamental responsibility to provide quality to education to all, regardless of race, culture, language or location?
If we were to believe the Federal government rhetoric, the issue is simply that Indigenous kids are not attending school – because their parents don't make them go. Attendance is considered a top priority under the Indigenous Advancement Strategy that replaced more than 150 programs in July.
This is a painfully superficial and one-sided retelling of the whole picture of what is going on in Indigenous education at a national level. It is a retelling which conveniently places all of the blame firmly onto Aboriginal students and parents, and positions government in the role of saviour, rather than the more accurate description of having been responsible for decades of ill-informed policies and practices.
Attendance is of course crucial but it does little to explain the lower results of many students who do regularly attend school, or the many other possible reasons for not attending school.