Homeland Learning Centre

Education in Remote Northern Territory (Australia)
Northern Territory Department of Education
General details
Primary languagesEnglish and Australian Aboriginal languages
System typeHomeland and remote education
Enrollment (2023)
Total400 in 31 Homeland Learning Centres

Homeland Learning Centres (HLC) are small primary and secondary educational facilities in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory of Australia, sometimes referred to as "homelands" or "outstations". HLCs operate through a hub-and-spoke model, in which a network of micro-schools is supported and administered by a central hub school. Most HLCs are operated by the Northern Territory Department of Education but are not classified as schools, differing from schools in their physical facilities, staffing, administration, and funding entitlements.

History

In the 1970s, there was a significant migration of Aboriginal peoples in the Northern Territory away from larger communities, which had been based around church missions, to their traditional lands, a movement known as the Homelands movement. As these geographically dispersed homeland communities became established the Northern Territory Government developed education services to meet the needs of those dispersed communities, including what became known as Homeland Learning Centres (HLCs).

Organisation

Location

HLCs are located across the Northern Territory, with most situated in the East Arnhem region. HLCs are generally located in very remote communities, some of which become inaccessible by road during the wet season.

Prevalence

The number of HLCs operating each year may vary due to population fluctuations and the movement of families between homelands. As of 2023, there were 31 HLCs in the Northern Territory. More than 90 homelands have had HLCs in the past, three of which were operated by the Catholic Education Office. The number of HLCs has generally declined due to closures and the upgrading of some HLCs to schools, e.g., the 2008 upgrade of Alparra and Baniyala (Yilpara).

Trend in the number of Homeland Learning Centres (HLCs)
Year Number of HLCs Ref
1995 53
1997 55
1998 54
1999 54
2000 55
2001 50
2002 54
2003 55
2004 53
2005 53
2006 51
2007 46
2008 45
2009 46
2010 40
2011 38
2012 39 [citation needed]
2017 27
2018 45
2019 29
2020 32
2022 44
2023 31

Infrastructure

Infrastructure at some HLCs was rudimentary. It was not until the mid-2000s that many had been upgraded to generator-supplied electricity.[citation needed] Infrastructure deficiencies have persisted at some HLCs, with a 2025 study finding that little had been invested in infrastructure development or renewal at Gurrumuru, Gäṉgaṉ and Garrthalala for decades, describing them as 'single-room'-HLCs without air-conditioning.

Students

Rurrungala Homeland Learning Centre in 2009

HLCs deliver education services to small groups of students who cannot attend the central school in their area. In the case of the HLCs in the Laynhapuy Homeland School hub, HLCs operate with 6 to 35 students. HLC establishment and operation are based on the number of school-age students in a remote community, although implementation often varies significantly.[citation needed] School age was considered to be from four to seventeen years.[citation needed] Twelve school-age children entitle a community to an HLC; if the number drops below nine, the HLC is closed. According to the Education Department's Annual Report 2001–2002, "All Homeland Learning Centre students are assumed to be Indigenous". It has been noted that the NT Government had built HLCs for Indigenous students in very remote communities while building schools for non-Indigenous students.[citation needed]

Staff

Permanent staff

HLCs do not have their own principal.[citation needed] They are the responsibility of a school principal who oversees a "hub" school within a larger community.[citation needed] Yirrkala Homelands School, however, has no hub school – its principal is responsible only for several HLCs in East Arnhem.[citation needed] HLCs also do not have full-time qualified teachers for their students, but are instead administered by the designated central school, which sends teachers to visit the HLCs on a regular basis. Qualified teachers visit HLCs from one to four days each week.[citation needed] Visiting qualified teachers are not present at HLCs for the full school day, due to time spent travelling to and from the HLC.[citation needed] In 2009, the NT Department of Education stated that it planned to "increase teaching by qualified teachers up to 5 or 6 hours per day in a virtual or face to face context".

Assistant teachers

HLCs are staffed by Indigenous Assistant Teachers. HLCs are entitled to one non-qualified "Assistant Teacher" for every 17 students, and a visiting (non-resident) qualified teacher for every 22 students.[citation needed] Assistant Teachers do not have teaching qualifications recognised by the Northern Territory Teacher Registration Board, or by other Teacher Registration Boards in Australia. Some Assistant Teachers have little or no English literacy or numeracy.[citation needed]

Pre-service teachers

The University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education has partnered with Yirrkala Homelands School and the local public school at Yirrkala since 2011, involving self-funded practicum placements for pre-service teachers lasting two to four weeks. By November 2018, more than 60 student teachers had participated in placements in rural and remote settings, with some of the graduates returning to teach in NT schools.

Teaching

Curriculum

Until 2003, Indigenous students of secondary school age at HLCs did not receive a secondary education – "HLCs offer a primary education only – i.e. no preschool or secondary". From 2003, secondary-age students at some HLCs followed the "post-primary" curriculum used in remote Indigenous schools. In the mainstream of the post-primary curriculum, secondary subjects, including humanities (such as history) and science (such as biology and physics), were either not included or studied only superficially. The inclusion of mathematics and English has been rudimentary, as evident in the Program Book that has been used in some HLCs:

Yirrkala Homelands School, Programme Book (2005)

Secondary English:

"Where Do We Want Secondary Students to Get To?
Speaking
  • Construct own simple sentences
  • Use some contractions, e.g. I'm, you're
  • Give some basic personal information on request using learnt formulae e.g. My name is...
Reading
  • Sequence a story by arranging pictures in order.
  • Shows awareness of some common acronyms e.g. TV, VCR, DVD, etc...
Writing
  • Use simple connectives e.g. but, then, and"

Secondary Mathematics:

"Where Do We Want Secondary Students To Get To?
  • Recall or work out mentally, multiplication facts including 2x, 5x and 10x.
  • Use digital and analogue clocks and calendars
  • recognise, describe, draw and make a range of 2D shapes and 3D objects."

Both-ways pedagogy

Both-ways education, as originally conceptualised, refers to the formal inclusion of both Western and Indigenous knowledges in schooling, as well as a movement towards Indigenous control of education and self-determination.

Teaching outcomes

Students at Homeland Learning Centres (HLCs) have the lowest English literacy and numeracy outcomes in Australia.[citation needed] When NAPLAN was introduced in 2008, its results showed that remote Indigenous students in the Northern Territory were not meeting national literacy and numeracy standards. Independent literacy testing conducted in October 2007 found that none of 29 students aged 5 to 17 in one homeland had progressed beyond Year 1 literacy levels.

Funding

In May 2009, the NT government issued a policy statement on outstations/homelands, in which it stated: "Government will continue to provide support to larger outstations/homelands and homeland clusters through schools, homeland learning centres and residential models".

Studies indicate that despite the extreme need for HLC funding for infrastructure improvements, their designation as "Learning Centres" precludes them from benefiting from either recurrent funding entitlements or special-purpose grant opportunities, a hurdle often overcome when an HLC converts to a small school. A 2023 review of secondary education in the Northern Territory found that, of the $41.3 million invested between 2017 and 2021 in improving secondary student engagement, retention and completion, only 9% of students with high needs attended schools with access to targeted programs, compared with 83% of students with the lowest needs.

See also

Northern Territory

Australia

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 O'Bryan, Marnie; Mununggurr, Yananymul; Mununggurr, Barayuwa; Dreise, Tony (18 February 2025). "Where self-determination and equity meet: homelands education systems and the forgotten schools". The Australian Educational Researcher. 52 (4): 2920. Archived from the original on 18 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  2. 1 2 3 Graham, C.; Colling, T.; Stevenson, K. (2023). "NT schools in crisis: How Homeland Learning Centres are failing Indigenous children". The Australian (subscription). Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 McLaughlin, Murray (24 February 2010). "A Tale of two schools". ABC News - 7.30 Report (abc.net.au/7.30). Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Deloitte Access Economics (December 2023). Review of Secondary Education in the Northern Territory (PDF) (Final report). Northern Territory Department of Education. p. 107. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 August 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  5. ↑ Mununggurr, Yananymul; Wunuŋmurra, B.; Kimber, L. (2018). Homeland Community Perspectives on Education and Schooling in Remote Northeast Arnhem Land Northern Territory Australia (Report). Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation. p. 37. Retrieved 18 August 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  6. ↑ O'Bryan, Marnie; Mununggurr, Yananymul; Mununggurr, Barayuwa; Dreise, Tony (18 February 2025). "Where self-determination and equity meet: homelands education systems and the forgotten schools". The Australian Educational Researcher. 52 (4): 2923–2925. Archived from the original on 18 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  7. 1 2 3 Murphy, Bernadette; Munuŋgurr, Lombiŋa; Rafferty, Claire (7 November 2018). "Learning in the Homelands". University of Melbourne (unimelb.edu.au). Archived from the original on 11 September 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  8. ↑ O'Bryan, Marnie; Mununggurr, Yananymul; Mununggurr, Barayuwa; Dreise, Tony (18 February 2025). "Where self-determination and equity meet: homelands education systems and the forgotten schools". The Australian Educational Researcher. 52 (4): 2922. Archived from the original on 18 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  9. 1 2 Northern Territory Government (2022). Budget 2022: Regional Overview (PDF) (Report). Northern Territory Government. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2026. There are 44 homeland learning centres across the Territory, mostly in the East Arnhem region.
  10. ↑ Mununggurr, Yananymul; Wunuŋmurra, B.; Kimber, L. (2018). Homeland Community Perspectives on Education and Schooling in Remote Northeast Arnhem Land Northern Territory Australia (Report). Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation. p. 33. Retrieved 18 August 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  11. 1 2 3 "Annual Report 2011-12" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  12. ↑ O'Bryan, Marnie; Mununggurr, Yananymul; Mununggurr, Barayuwa; Dreise, Tony (18 February 2025). "Where self-determination and equity meet: homelands education systems and the forgotten schools". The Australian Educational Researcher. 52 (4): 2925. Archived from the original on 18 August 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via ResearchGate.
  13. 1 2 James, Felicity (9 November 2020). "Leaked NT Government report reveals funding inequality at Aboriginal homelands schools". ABC News (abc.net.au). Archived from the original on 6 January 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Harris, Michele; Gartland, Georgina (June 2011). Children of the Intervention: Aboriginal Children Living in the Northern Territory of Australia (PDF) (Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child). Concerned Australians. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026 – via Child Rights International Network.
  15. ↑ "NT Department of Education Annual Reports". Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. 29 July 2010. Archived from the original on 29 July 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Scrymgour, Marion (30 April 2008). "Transforming Indigenous Education". Northern Territory Newsroom (newsroom.nt.gov.au) (Press release). Department of Education (Northern Territory). Archived from the original on 21 July 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Annual Report 2009-2010" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2011.
  18. ↑ Buckley, Paul (1996). "What Entitles a School to Legitimately Call Itself an Aboriginal School?". The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. Archived from the original on 9 April 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Northern Territory Department of Education (1998). Bush Talks: Northern Territory Department of Education Submission (PDF) (Submission). Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. p. 3. Retrieved 15 August 2026. There are 55 Homeland Centre Programs with a student enrolment of 1016.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "Annual Report 2003-2004" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Employment, Education and Training. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "Annual Report 2001-2002" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 52. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  22. ↑ "Annual Report 2004-2005" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Employment, Education and Training. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  23. ↑ "Annual Report 2005-2006" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Employment, Education and Training. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  24. 1 2 3 "Annual Report 2009-2010" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Annual Report 2007-2008" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Employment, Education and Training. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Annual Report 2008-2009" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  27. ↑ Northern Territory Government (2017). 10 Year Infrastructure Plan 2017–2026 (PDF) (Report). Northern Territory Government. p. 60. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026. More than 44 910 children are enrolled in 189 schools as well as 27 homeland centres across the Northern Territory
  28. ↑ Lawler, Eva (19 June 2018). 2018–19 Estimates: Minister for Education Opening Statement (PDF) (Opening statement). Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026. This investment supports 152 government schools, including 45 homeland learning centres
  29. ↑ "Annual Report 2018-2019" (PDF). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 26. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  30. 1 2 "NT Department of Education Annual Report 2001-2002". Department of Education and Training (Northern Territory) (det.nt.gov.au). Archived from the original on 14 October 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  31. ↑ NT Department of Education Annual Report 2001-2002 (Report). Northern Territory Government - Department of Education and Training. p. 174. Archived from the original on 11 March 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  32. ↑ "NT Department of Education Annual Report 2008-2009". Department of Education and Training (Northern Territory) (det.nt.gov.au). Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Yirrkala Homelands School, Programme Book. 2005.
  34. ↑ National Assessment Program (PDF). Naplan (naplan.edu.au) (Report). 2008. pp. 52–54, 102–104, 152–154, 202–204. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
  35. ↑ Education in Baniyala/Yilpara. Centre for Independent Studies. 15 June 2008.
  36. ↑ Outstations/homelands policy | Headline Policy Statement (PDF) (Report). Northern Territory Government. May 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  37. ↑ Deloitte Access Economics (December 2023). Review of Secondary Education in the Northern Territory (PDF) (Final report). Northern Territory Department of Education. p. 102. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 August 2026. Retrieved 18 August 2026.

Further reading

Langan, Dianne. "Teaching music in Arnhem Land". Wenona School (wenona.nsw.edu.au). Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2026. (Yirrkala Homelands School)