Indigenous experiences of higher education — the role of the ANU Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre

Abstract

This paper analyses the role that the Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre at the Australian National University (ANU) plays in the university experience of Indigenous students and the sense of Indigenous community that it creates. It highlights the importance of Indigenous students’ perspectives on Indigenous education and achieving population parity of Indigenous students and the faculty at ANU. The paper considers what Tjabal does to make ANU less of a white man’s institution and to enhance its students’ value as Indigenous people. The paper finds that Tjabal plays a vital role in the students’ educational experience at ANU, helps them deal with the difficulties of transition to university, and helps increase Indigenous students’ retention and graduation rates. Relationality, which is important to Indigenous communities in Australia, is translated into the students’ university experiences, thereby alleviating cultural effacement. However, the paper also finds that more could be done to encourage students to pursue higher degrees.