The gap

On average, Indigenous students achieve lower literacy and numeracy levels than other students. In the Northern Territory in 2006, under 40% of Indigenous students achieved the Year 3 reading benchmark, compared with 87% of non-Indigenous students. In 2006, only 13.5% of Northern Territory Certificate of Education recipients were Indigenous.

The approach

Starting school early, improving attendance rates, providing high quality teaching and leaving school later are essential to improving literacy and numeracy skills and therefore providing a good start in life. Preschool and early education programs have been associated with increased levels of school completion and improved literacy and social skills necessary for school success.

Over the next 5 years, the Northern Territory Government will:

Preschool and Early Education

• Provide six additional mobile preschools and 21 teachers and assistants to deliver preschool services for smaller remote communities without a dedicated preschool service, at a cost of $9.5m.

Primary and Secondary Education

• Recruit 26 additional teachers in remote communities, at a cost of $12.83m
• Build 15 additional classrooms, at a cost of $6m
• Establish a school attendance team to track school attendance, at a cost of $1.8m
• Implement a ‘value of schooling’ education campaign, at a cost of $0.55m
• Upgrade two homeland learning centres to small schools, at a cost of $10m
• Upgrade 15 community education centres, at a cost of $20m
• Provide IT resources for staff and students, at a cost of $2.7m
• Provide regional hostels for senior studies, at a cost of $0.7m.

School and Community Partnership Programs

• Develop partnership programs to improve student engagement and community involvement, at a cost of $6.6m.

Education Fact Sheet (PDF document, 450 kilobytes)