ABSTRACT

This paper describes the context of literacy education in the Northern Territory, Australia, examining particularly structural and institutional constraints on Aboriginal access to education. It does this by providing an overview of the current rhetoric surrounding access and equity issues in Aboriginal education in the Northern Territory from early childhood to tertiary education. It raises the issue of whether inequalities of access and participation reflect underlying institutional racism, and considers the constraints on effective teaching and learning that are built into both policy discourse and pedagogical practices. Suggested changes in policy and practice are also discussed. While the discussion is focused primarily on the Northern Territory context, many of the issues raised are relevant to the broader Australian context and may well have their parallels in other ‘Fourth World’ indigenous societies.