Maningrida Community Update May 2016

Homelands education supports both ways learning

Education out bush does not only happen in community.At different times during the year, children from the communities of Maningrida and Gunbalanya live out on their homelands. When they are there, they want to continue their education ‘on country’. In Maningrida, two teachers from the school go out to visit a number of outstations to provide support to the team teachers out bush who are teaching the children who live there. Gunbalanya school also provides a teacher to support team teachers living in Manmoyi and Mamadawerre. An important strength of education ‘on country’ is the focus on bringing together both ‘Bininj’ (Aboriginal) knowledge and Western ways of teaching and learning.

The West Arnhem WCE team have been invited to record some of the education and training experiences of these young people and their teachers in the homelands. We envisage these stories will assist in building stronger education pathways for very remote Indigenous students.

NAILSMA work in Maningrida

NAILSMA is working with Maningrida to trial the delivery of the Certificate III in Indigenous Land Management (ILM) in the NT. This project involves Djelk Rangers, Traditional Owners, Maningrida College, and the wider Maningrida community. As in Yirrkala, through trialling the Certificate III in ILM, NAILSMA is working with rangers and senior community members to develop a culturally appropriate land and sea management qualification where senior knowledge holders in the community take a lead role. Three training workshops have been held, and two more are scheduled for later this year. To read more about the workshops for the Certificate III in ILM in Maningrida please see: Developing culturally appropriate qualifications for Indigenous land and sea managers and Maningrida Community Members trial the Certificate III in Indigenous Land Management (ILM)