What we mean by "No Excuses!"
The Case Manager used to visit me when my kids came late to school. She helped me get them to school on time. Now they come to school on time every day.
Local Coen mother, Cindy Thompson
The Every Child Is Special program and Indigenous community leaders developed this explanation of "No Excuses" for Cape York:
- Indigenous Australian culture is a culture of responsibility and reciprocity. Ours is a culture of law and learning. Ours is a culture of transmission of knowledge. Our culture is our strength.
- We will take our responsibilities to our children seriously. We will not allow other people to use the fact that our children are Indigenous as an excuse for educational failure.
- Our children have their own culture and languages, other children have other cultures and languages. No culture or language predisposes children for educational failure.
- The fact that some of our children come from disadvantaged, and even dysfunctional backgrounds, will no longer be an excuse for educational failure.
- We will understand and be sensitive to the difficulties facing our children and we are going to find every support to deal with them, but we will not allow these difficulties to be an excuse for educational failure.
- It will not be an excuse for the children.
- It will not be an excuse for the parents or community.
- It will not be an excuse for the principal and the teachers.
- It will not be an excuse for the education system and all of us who say we are committed to Indigenous education reform.