Palm Island Women Speak Out

Extract

Education is a vital political concern to Aboriginal and Islander women. Despite common assumptions that Aboriginal and Islander families do not hold high expectations for their children's education, Aboriginal and Islander families do value education for their children and hold high educational aspirations for them. This general perception of Aboriginal and Islander parents' disinterest has to do with the mismatch between the education provided and the culture of their children. Palm Island women as community other - Mothers, for instance, show a deep concern about their own and their children's education. It is only by gaining a political vocabulary by which to speak that Palm Island women can begin to articulate the educational needs for their children. This voice emanates from their standpoint and speaks in their interests, and contests Anglo-Australian paternalistic models of education. This article will give voice to Palm Island women as they speak about their children's education and their own educational aspirations.