Australian schools are doing more than ever to embed First Nations perspectives into learning, but the broader picture for Indigenous students remains deeply uneven.
National data shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ attendance rates rose only slightly to 77.2% in 2025, while Year 10 attendance still sits alarmingly low in many communities. Meanwhile, the Year 10 to Year 12 retention rate for Indigenous students remains below 60% nationally.
Against that backdrop, experts say schools must think more carefully about how Indigenous culture, language and knowledge are taught – and who gets to decide.
Authentic cultural learning starts with trust
Dr Janke is the founder of Terri Janke and Company, a 100 per cent Indigenous-owned law firm specialising in commercial law and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property.
She said that while it is encouraging to see schools increasingly teaching First Nations languages, science, maths, writing and culture across the curriculum, principals also need to understand that First Nations cultural knowledge is protected as Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP).
“ICIP includes stories, language, art, music, ecological knowledge and cultural expressions that belong to communities and are connected to Country, family and cultural responsibility,” Dr Janke told The Educator.
“First Nations people have the right to maintain, control and protect their cultural knowledge and expressions.”
Dr Janke noted that these are rights recognised in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, and although intellectual property laws do not adequately cover this right, the best practices standards developing is to recognise these rights in protocols.
“Schools should follow cultural protocols and ICIP principles by seeking consent and consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities when embedding Indigenous culture into learning,” she said.
“Communities should have a say in how their knowledge is shared, used and represented.
Is your school using the right resources?
Dr Janke said the True Tracks® principles – a framework promoting respectful, ethical engagement with Indigenous culture and knowledge – provide a practical guide for respecting ICIP through consent, cultural integrity, attribution and benefit sharing.
“Schools should also use CultureStrong resources. CultureStrong refers to resources, programs and approaches that are grounded in authentic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural authority,” she said.
“A CultureStrong resource is content that has been created by, or developed with, First Nations people and communities, with proper consent, cultural integrity and community support.”
Dr Janke said the concept is important because not all resources about Indigenous culture are safe or accurate.
“Some written materials may contain stereotypes, outdated information and knowledge shared with community approval,” she said.
“CultureStrong resources help schools ensure they are using materials that are respectful, community-supported and grounded in Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) principles.”
Dr Janke said strong cultural partnerships must be "embedded authentically" across the entire school community.
“In practice, a CultureStrong school builds relationships with community, values local knowledge holders, and ensures Indigenous people remain connected to and in control of how their culture and knowledge are represented and taught.”
Indigenous knowledge still belongs to communities
For many school leaders, the challenge is no longer whether Indigenous perspectives belong in classrooms, but how to embed them authentically, respectfully and with community trust. Dr Janke says that starts by moving beyond symbolic gestures and building genuine partnerships where First Nations communities remain central to decision-making and cultural authority.
“Respectful engagement is not a one-off consultation or a single NAIDOC Week activity, it is about ongoing partnerships where communities are involved in decision-making and cultural authority is respected,” Dr Janke said. “This is where the idea of relational sovereignty is important.”
Dr Janke said relational sovereignty recognises that First Nations communities maintain ongoing authority and responsibility over their cultural knowledge, expressions, language and stories, even when they are shared with schools.
“Knowledge is connected to people, place and relationships, not simply transferred to an institution,” she said. “For example, teaching an Aboriginal language should involve discussions with the relevant Traditional Owners and language custodians from the beginning.”
Dr Janke said communities should help decide how language and cultural knowledge are taught, who can teach it, and how it is shared.
“Importantly, the ownership of language and cultural knowledge still belongs to the Traditional Owners — it is not transferred to or subsumed by the school,” she said. “Indigenous communities should continue to control and make decisions about the use of their language and knowledge.”
Dr Janke said trust-based partnerships also mean recognising and valuing expertise.
“Elders and knowledge holders should be acknowledged, respected and paid for sharing their knowledge,” she said.
“When schools work in this relational way, they create stronger cultural safety, deeper learning experiences and more meaningful connections with community.”