How flights help teachers to reach classrooms where kids are happy because they feel at home.
Families living in remote, outback Australia have limited options for their children’s education, and boarding school or re-location are the go-to choices for many.
In East Arnhem Land however, Yolŋu families can choose to remain on their homelands and still get an education for their children.
Primary school teacher Taylor McCormack said, “Homeland education is so important. It means families don’t have to leave their kids in a boarding school, and we’re able to support them in that.”
Taylor, originally from the remote town of Kununurra in Western Australia, is familiar with the schooling challenge posed by distance, and she sees the difference that staying with family can make in her students’ lives.
“When you’ve got kids staying on homelands, they’re just better for it, they’re more grounded than being in a boarding school or a hostel. You can’t replicate a family system.”
The Laynhapuy Homelands School operates primary schools in nine homelands, and Taylor flies out weekly to Garrthalala with MAF to work alongside Yolŋu homeland teachers.
“Homeland teachers run the school five days a week,” said Taylor. “I fly out here on Tuesdays and then back on Fridays.
“I think this is highly unique, that we run nine homeland schools with homeland teachers, and this school can operate even without us. We fly in to support the homeland teachers.”
This is their education, it’s their lifeline
Like many indigenous people across Australia, the Yolŋu are caught between the two worlds of the West and their traditional culture, and education can help them to navigate between the two, which is why consistent access from a primary school age is so significant.
“This is their education, it’s their lifeline,” Taylor said. “It means the education gets out to where they are, on their homelands. And what MAF does is their lifeline as well, you guys [MAF] are connecting them to the outside world.”
Ben Brown, Country Director of MAF in Arnhem Land, said, “MAF is enabling improved education outcomes for isolated students in Arnhem Land.
“The strong relationship we have built with families and Laynhapuy Homeland School means that our role goes beyond just providing a school bus.
“We seek to build positive meaningful relationships with every student that encourages them in their education journey. This is so important in a culture that values trust and understanding so highly.”
