Education standards falling for Indigenous kids

Only 22 per cent of students in remote areas of Australia rated highly according to NAPLAN results released this week.

Indigenous students are one of the most affected group as the report stated as many as a third of all Australian students are not meeting ‘reasonable’ levels in reading, numeracy and writing.

And about 10 per cent are way behind national levels and require additional support. Most of that percentage will be in remote areas and seriously affects the education of First Nations children.

NAPLAN is an annual test of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 which gives a snapshot of progress in basic literacy and numeracy.

While the report nationally said results were stable, the trend in remote areas, where Indigenous students experience the greatest disadvantage, are of concern.

Education analyst Glenn Fahey from the Centre for Independent Studies, told the ABC that children who start behind and underachieve in NAPLAN have little to no chance of achieving at year level expectations by the time they finish school.

“We must demand urgency when it comes to school education,” he said.

Education Minister Jason Clare said a new $16 billion public school funding deal was tied to reforms to lift performance. But there was no mention s to how that would also tie into Closing the Gap expectations.