The Boarding School Education of Remote Aboriginal Students

What are the Expected Outcomes?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v35i2.757

Keywords:

boarding school outcomes, boarding school stakeholders, Indigenous education, Human Capital Theory, Internal Colonialism Theory

Abstract

Boarding schools for remote Aboriginal students serve a multifaceted purpose that extends beyond education provision. These institutions address the critical need for accessible, quality education in regions where local schooling options are limited or non-existent. The push for young Aboriginal students from remote communities to obtain a boarding school education for better opportunities often comes at the expense of prolonged separation from family and culture, homesickness, mental health, and numerous other challenges. While recent studies indicate that these challenges impact education outcomes and completion, governments continue to invest in sending remote Aboriginal students to boarding schools. Stakeholders' aspirations for their children are often overlooked in discussions about a boarding school education. This paper explores teachers’, parents’, and students’ views and expectations of a boarding school education for remote Aboriginal students in an Indigenous boarding school in the Northern Territory of Australia. Research methods used to collect data for this study included documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and field observation. Findings were analysed through the Internal Colonialism and Human Capital Theory. Analysis of stakeholders’ expectations of a boarding school education indicates mixed insights. While there were common expectations amongst teachers, parents and students, there were also differences. Academic and employment agendas were shared by all stakeholders; however, the socio-political agendas were distinctive to teachers.

Author Biographies

Wili Suluma, James Cook University

Dr Suluma is a Lecturer in Indigenous education. His experience includes teaching and school leadership in remote communities of the Northern Territory. His PhD thesis examined the purpose of education for remote Aboriginal students in the Northern Territory of Australia, drawing on the Internal Colonisation Theory and Human Capital Theory. His work focuses on decolonising education and creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments. His research interests include challenging dominant narratives, rethinking curriculum, and centring Indigenous and marginalised voices in educational spaces. He advocates for educational systems that reflect diverse epistemologies and ontologies and actively engage in practices that interrogate colonial legacies in pedagogy, policy, and institutional structures.

Greg Burnett, James Cook University

Dr Burnett is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Arts, Society and Education at James Cook University in Cairns/Gimuy, Queensland. His research and teaching emphases include: a sociology of Pacific and Indigenous education; the influence of cultural and other social difference on schooling; and an exploration of critical and postcolonial theory as a basis for teaching, learning and researching in Pacific and Indigenous education. His professional and personal life has emerged from Indigenous ‘routes’ that have led via Western NSW, Nauru, Kiribati, Fiji, New Zealand, and more recently Far North Queensland. He has lived, taught and researched in each of these education contexts over the last 30 years.

AIJRE 35(2) Cover Page

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Published

29-07-2025

How to Cite

Suluma, W., & Burnett, G. (2025). The Boarding School Education of Remote Aboriginal Students: What are the Expected Outcomes?. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 35(2), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v35i2.757

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 2 (2025): Improving Rural and Regional Student Experiences

Section

JOURNAL PAPERS

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Wili Suluma, Greg Burnett

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