Australia improves education for indigenous students in Kalinga

MANILA, Philippines - Australian Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Ste-phen Scott hands over indigenised educational materials to Arlene Dawing, principal of the Dananao Elementary School, Kalinga Province (second from left) during a ceremony to celebrate Australia’s NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week 2009.

The teaching and learning materials were produced under the ‘Indigenising Education in a Kalinga Public School’ project supported by the Embassy’s Direct Aid Program and headed by the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED) and Volunteers for International Development from Australia.

“The project aimed to improve the quality of education provided by the Dananao Elementary School in Kalinga Province through the provision of culturally-appropriate educational materials that address the needs and culture of its Indigenous tribe, the Ichananaw,” Scott said.

Researcher and educational materials developer Maria Cameron from the Philippines Australia Studies Centre-La Trobe University, Melbourne (second from right) and Carmela Oracion, managing director ACED and assistant to the president for basic education, Ateneo de Manila University (right) attended the event.