New education hub launches to train more First Nations teachers

Charles Darwin University (CDU) has officially launched the First Nations Training and Teacher Education Hub, a collaborative initiative designed to grow the next generation of First Nations teachers, educators, and leaders across the Northern Territory.

The Hub, which launches on December 2, will build partnerships between academics, First Nations organisations, the NT Department of Education and Training, and regional communities to meaningfully contribute to Closing The Gap initiatives.

According to the Australian Council of Education Research, just 4.6 per cent of NT teachers identify as First Nations compared to 39 per cent of school students. Nationally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent 1.3 per cent of teachers and 6 per cent of students.

CDU Senior Lecturer in Education and Hub Director Larissa Pickalla said the launch marked a new chapter in how the NT would grow and sustain its teaching workforce.  

“This is our heart work: creating the programs, partnerships and visibility that support First Nations educators to thrive,” Ms Pickalla said.  

“When First Nations children see teachers who share their culture, language, and story, they believe they belong.  

“You can’t be what you can’t see, and that’s what this Hub is about.”

One of the key initiatives the Hub will utilise to increase cultural responsiveness in the nation’s teaching workforce is through a first-of-its-kind Associate Degree in First Nations Cultural and Language Education.

The multidisciplinary degree combines units from education streams, linguistics, Indigenous Knowledges, and creative arts.

Ms Pickalla likened it to accrediting practical industry experience towards a formal qualification.

“Before this degree was built, there was nothing for us to build our capacity within the Western qualification framework that recognises the strengths we have as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and to be able to formally teach our culture, language and story,” she said.

As the Hub cements its position as a powerful resource for the Australian education system, Ms Pickalla hopes to see more First Nations teachers in classrooms across the NT and Australia.

“The impact of this work will live far beyond the university, in every school, every classroom and every community,” she said.

“Every educator we support today is a future qualified teacher, a leader and a mentor for the next generation.”