Meeting with teachers at Boulia State School, 4 October 1999
The meeting was attended by approximately 10 teachers, teachers' aides and other school staff. From HREOC: Chris Sidoti, Human Rights Commissioner; Lady Pearl Logan, Queensland Co-Commissioner; and two Commission staff.
There are approximately 60 students at Boulia State School, half of them Indigenous. The school goes from Pre-school to Year 7.
School resources (including technology)
"Funding is not a big problem for this school. Generally speaking, we are pretty well-resourced. The new system where schools have more freedom to decide how to spend their money is a positive one."
"The school is well-equipped with computers. There are 5 or 6 computers in each of the 3 classrooms."
Attendance
"School absenteeism is not a major problem in Boulia."
Retention rates
"Most of the students move to larger towns after completing Year 7, to further their education. About 10% of those students would drop out and return to Boulia. Of the remainder, very few would go on to complete Year 12. Most of them would come back to Boulia. Some get council traineeships. Others get jobs out on the stations. A few might pick up apprenticeships."
School hours and term dates
"It would be really helpful if the school could have more flexible term dates. This would help in dealing with variables like the wet season. It would enable us to consider strategies like having longer school hours for 5 or 6 months of the year and then close down during the wet season."
"The school routine is also disrupted a lot by external events such as sports carnivals. If a carnival is being held in Mt Isa during the weekend the kids need to allow a day to travel there. This means they miss out on school on Friday. Having more flexible school hours would help us to deal with this. The children could make up the hours by having longer days on Thursday and Friday."
"Boarding schools have different term dates from our school. Generally their holidays start a week earlier. This causes problems because the parents will drive out to pick up their child from boarding school and will take their other children with them. It is understandable that they don't want to leave their children at home, but it means that they miss a few days of school. Having more flexibility with our school terms dates could help to avoid this kind of disruption."
School trips
"Remote kids sometimes feel reluctant to leave the security of their family and community. This applies particularly to Indigenous kids. There is a kind of 'scare factor' about large towns. This lack of confidence can sometimes hinder kids in their ability to adapt when they leave home to further their education."
"Taking kids on trips to other places can help break down their fears. It can broaden their horizons and give them a greater sense of confidence about the world around them. This is why the school tries to take a group of students away every year. It is an important socialising experience for them. Just getting them used to dealing with crowds is tremendously beneficial."
"Last year we raised $15,000 in funds to take the kids away. Some assistance was provided by the PCAP and ASSPA programs. The parents also pay a $250 levy for their child to go on the trip. However, if the family are struggling and cannot pay the levy we don't stop the student from coming."
"We take the students to places like the Gold Coast or the snowfields. This year we took them whale watching on Fraser Island. We also went to the 'Seaworld' and 'Dreamworld' theme parks. It was an unforgettable experience for them."
"On another occasion we did a trip to Parliament House. This was a fantastic learning experience for the kids."
"These trips also help the students develop their aspirations. They see people doing all sorts of different jobs. It gets them thinking about the sort of things they might do with their life."
"Many kids in remote places like Boulia have never even seen the ocean."
Teacher support
"People who come here as teachers get a locality allowance plus various other incentives. On the face of it, it looks like quite a good package. However, you lose half of it in tax. Then you spend most of the remainder on trips back home. In the end you realise it's not that much of an incentive at all."
"Teachers had more incentive to come to places like Boulia under the old system where government funding was provided for regular return home flights."
"Teachers in remote communities need to be properly supported. It's not just about money and financial incentives."
"One of the hardest things about working in a remote community is being away from your family and friends."
"Teachers who come to remote communities without having had any small-town experience face a very steep learning curve."
"Ideally, teachers considering working in a remote community should be given the opportunity to go and live there for a few weeks first. They could meet the teachers and get a feel for the community. It would be really helpful to them in deciding if that sort of life was really for them. It could help both them and the school potentially avoid a lot of problems further down the track."
Health issues
"Some of the kids at the school have major health problems."
"Children in this community experience a range of health problems such as conjunctivitis, insect bites and various infections. The incidence of these problems is much higher for Indigenous than non-Indigenous children."
"Many kids come to school in the morning without having had a proper feed."
"The school provides some limited assistance with food for the children. We give them a free bag of chips or something like that for morning tea. It's not terribly healthy but at least it's food in their stomach."
"Hygiene is a serious issue for children here. We get some children wearing the same clothes for seven days."
"The school tries to teach the students about personal hygiene issues. This can be difficult because of the sensitivities involved, especially in a small community. It can appear as though we are accusing families of neglect."
"The school ran a tooth brushing program for a while."
"One boy at the school suffered incontinence very badly. The problem started in Pre-school and now he is in Year 6. We have never been able to get proper support for him. We have tried unsuccessfully to get the department to send a person to help him deal with this problem. They don't see him as a priority. As a result of this he has missed a lot if time at school. It is sometimes hard for him to be in the same class as others, especially on a hot day."
Family problems
"Some of the children here have family problems, like alcohol problems with Dad drinking away all their money. This affects their performance at school."
Indigenous issues
"The school has two Indigenous people on staff. We should have more given that half of the students are Indigenous."
Community conflicts
"Occasionally the school comes under pressure from members of the community. You might get a situation where a parent objects to one of the teachers. In a small community like Boulia, dealing with these types of conflicts can be difficult. Everyone knows each other and you can't avoid seeing parents in the street."
Last updated 2 December 2001.
