Abstract

The Charles Darwin University has entered into a partnership with Catholic Education in Australia’s Northern Territory to train Indigenous teacher aides to become teachers. The program is unique in that the training takes place on location in the remote community, while lecturers travel, via plane, four wheel drive and boat to reach their students. This is an important program, given the low levels of literacy in remote communities, high levels of school disengagement and the inablilty of schools to maintain high quality teaching staff. Indigenous teachers are best placed to provide consistent, positive role-models to young Indigenous people, maintain educational continuity and make learning and education relevant for local students. Through profiles of two of the sites for the Growing Our Own program, this paper will explore the models used to train the Indigenous teachers, examine the problems encountered and celebrate the achievements of those involved.