It has been 10 years since UniSA determined to meet the
challenge of an Education Department report that showed more than 50 per cent of
Indigenous students dropped out of school after year 10.
The University’s response was to develop a program that made science and
technology exciting and accessible - ASSETS, the Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence
in Technology and Science.
The summer school was established in 1992 and each year since, has drawn together the
top 10 per cent of Year 10 Indigenous students to a live-in educational camp in Adelaide,
that has literally changed some students lives.
This year ASSETS 2001 – predicting your future will be launched by
UniSA’s acting Vice Chancellor Professor Kevin O’Brien and Rio Tinto’s
Bruce Harvey with special celebrations and a birthday cake at 12 noon on Thursday,
January 11 at the Clipsal Innovation Centre, Prince Alfred College, Kent Town.
Rio Tinto one of the major sponsors of the program. Dean of UniSA’s College of
Indigenous Education and Research, Associate Professor Mary Ann Bin Sallik, and one of
ASSETS long-term supporters, Professor Bin Sallik said the ASSETS program was a fine
example of partnership with industry.
"The program would not have continued for as long as it has without long term
support from some of our key partners
- Rio
Tinto, BHP Limited, Rotary, Qantas and State Education agencies," she said.
"Tomorrow’s launch will give us an important opportunity to celebrate, not
only the success and promise of young Indigenous Australians, but also the commitment of
these supporters as examples of what it is to be a good corporate citizen in the
community. I view the whole ASSETS collaboration with great pride and look forward to its
future success."
The program this year will feature an exciting and
innovative take on the future, spanning everything from interior space through
architecture and design to environmental management, telecommunications and electrical
engineering.
Professor Bin Sallik said the summer school model had been an enormous success.
"Recent evaluations of the program have shown that the summer school model has
been successful above and beyond its basic academic goals," she says.
"The level of participation in senior years of secondary school and then following
on to higher education is higher among ASSETS participants, but more than this, there is
an immediate transformation in the students. Their self esteem lifts and their confidence
grows.
"These are vital building blocks for success. The summer schools encourage
independent thought and also provide a team environment, building qualities such as
communication and cooperation that are increasingly important in the workplace.
"Another distinct benefit of this live-in learning model is that it boosts
cultural awareness and pride. So what we have is an excellent environment for educating
the whole person in the core areas of science and technology but also in ways that help
them to become stronger and more successful people."
Media contact: Michèle Nardelli (08) 8302 0966, 041 882367
