Administration of Aboriginal education can perhaps be defined as the “management of affairs” associated with education for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. Such management is placed in the hands of individuals who form part of a system, an entity that seeks to meet the needs and aspirations in education of the indigenous people of this country. The task therefore for the administrator is a massive one and involves a tremendous amount of responsibility. Administrators in education for indigenous Australians are the catalyst in an environment embracing all school-age Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander children – children of all ages, mentalities, skills, talents and aspirations.

In many areas of government policy there is a big gap between theory and practice, that is, there is a difference between what ought to occur and what actually eventuates. This is unfortunately true for education as well. That education actually alienates the young from the old and from their traditional life-style may in some way be substantiated. In theory this should not happen. Before any discussion on the pros and cons of such a state of affairs, however, there is a need to define what education is, to define some of the approaches officially accepted in Aboriginal education and to differentiate between the needs of some of the more recognizable Aboriginal groups and their life-styles.

Education can be defined as all the ways in which one person deliberately tries to influence the behaviour of another person. Behaviour may include knowledge, skills, habits, values and attitudes (Butts, n.d.). I believe education should serve either or both of two purposes -

1. the acquisition of knowledge, skills, habits, values and attitudes which can be used to assist his community/society to attain a better standard of living, that is, economic development and/or quality of life, and/or

2. to enable a person to be a better and more useful citizen in his/her society.

One of the criticisms voiced against Aboriginal Residential Colleges such as Yirara is that we “take the students away from their culture”. I don’t necessarily agree with this comment for a number of reasons.

Aspects of life at Yirara suggest to me that male and female students who attend could in fact be exposed to more traditional Aboriginal culture than they would normally experience at home. This, of course, applies to some communities more than to others.

Yirara College is in its second year of conducting an Aboriginal Studies course for its students. During this course students have the opportunity of

a) Learning to read and write their own language.

b) Learning traditional and contemporary Aboriginal skills.

c) Learning about other non-Centralian Aboriginal groups and native peoples from other cultures.