Today 16 March marks National Close the Gap Day, an annual event aimed at bringing awareness to the gap in health, education, and employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Established in 2008 by the Federal Government, the Closing the Gap framework aims to achieve equality for Indigenous Australians in each of these critical areas by 2031. Unfortunately, there has been limited progress in achieving the goals.
To address this, there have been calls to tackle this issue at its core by making sure schools give Indigenous children the best start in life through an inclusive, engaging and empowering education.
This year, the Australian Education Awards is introducing the new category of Best First Nations Education Program, which recognises schools that have fostered positive physical and mental health for Indigenous students.
Sponsoring the new Award will be CompliSpace, an organisation that helps high impact organisations in highly regulated industries meet their governance, risk and compliance obligations through innovative SaaS solutions. This allows its customers to focus on providing the highest quality of service and care for those they serve.
“We are proud to support the inaugural Best First Nations Education Program award,” Rachel Partis, Head of Customer at CompliSpace, told The Educator.
“This award shines a light on the many creative and meaningful programs that nurture First Nations identity and culture to provide quality education in an inclusive environment.”
The Educator is encouraging readers to nominate their exceptional colleague, school or even themselves.
The online nomination process is straightforward, free and open until 17 March. Excellence awardees will be announced in The Educator and online channels in May.
Winners will be announced and celebrated at the highly anticipated awards gala on 11 August at the Fullerton Hotel in Sydney.
We look forward to your nominations and celebrating your remarkable achievements!
For more information, visit the Australian Education Awards webpage.