The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations has expressed its strong condemnation of proposed government funding cuts to the Indigenous Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ITAS), with their Vice President (Equity) saying the program was “vital” to her education.
“ITAS was vital to my education,” said Vice President (Equity) of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) and 2014 Indigenous Fulbright Scholar, Sadie Heckenberg. “I had ITAS tutors in primary school, secondary school and in my first years of University. “
“I can say with absolute certainty that without ITAS I would be nowhere near where I am today” Ms Heckenberg said.
Since its introduction in 1993 ITAS has been a vital source of support to Indigenous students from kindergarten right through to postgraduate studies, and has improved Indigenous parity within Australian Universities.
Universities currently receive funding for ITAS based on their number of enrolled Indigenous students. Each student is given the opportunity to have a qualified tutor for two hours per week per subject.
The Government is proposing to replace the ITAS program from 2015 with a competitive grants process.
The sudden announcement has put major pressure on Indigenous centres and organizations, many of whom may miss out on funding if they are unable to make a submission by the closing date of October 7th.
President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, Meghan Hopper said that a recent tour of remote and regional campuses had demonstrated to her the success of ITAS.
“Just days before the Government proposal to cut ITAS funding emerged I had the great pleasure of touring a number of small and regional campuses with significant Indigenous student populations and Indigenous research centres, including the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, the University of South Australia and the University of Sunshine Coast” Ms Hopper said.
“Time and time again academics, students and student support workers at these institutions reaffirmed the value of the current ITAS program” said Ms Hopper.
“The previous Government undertook a significant review into Higher Education access and outcomes for Indigenous people in 2012, chaired by Professor Larissa Behrendt – nowhere in that review was it proposed to turn the funding of ITAS into a competitive grant process” Ms Hopper said.
“This Government needs to stop making it up as they go along, and instead look at the research and the recommendations of experts as they make funding decisions around access and equity in the higher education sector” said Ms Hopper.
Ms Heckenberg, who next week will travel to the University of Hawai’I to undertake research in Indigenous oral histories and languages as part of her Fulbright scholarship, said that the changes to ITAS would have a profound effect on the next generation of Indigenous students.
“Having also been an ITAS tutor in my later years of university I have seen time and time again the wonderful effects this scheme has on students. I am so appalled and saddened that the government cares so little for Indigenous students”, said Ms Heckenberg.
Meghan B. Hopper, CAPA National President
president@capa.edu.au / 0421 807 303
