Tiwi College
Tiwi College is located at Pickertaramoor on Melville Island. The college is run by the Tiwi people and was designed to provide quality secondary education for all young Tiwi people. The college is a fulfilment of a dream for the Tiwi Islands to have their own college. The college is a remote Aboriginal Secondary Boarding school and a day school for a small number of primary children. The students who board are picked up from communities across Melville and Bathurst Island each Monday and then each Friday they return. Many of the students who attend the college are part of the growing group of Australians who have experienced disadvantages in terms of health, education, services and future prospects in comparison to people living in the mainstream of Australia.
The college provides an opportunity for students to leave their immediate community whilst not having the leave the traditional lands of the Tiwi islands. The college provides a supportive and nurturing environment for schooling that develops the student’s sense of self-worth, enthusiasm for learning and optimism for the future. The college also has close relations with training providers and industries on the island for future pathways into careers, as a goal to enable secure futures for their students after their college life.
Tiwi College also provides opportunities for its students to engage in sport. Red Dust Role Models will be supporting this with a full time employee, beginning in 2011, to develop the girl’s soccer academy and to work on the Haydenway Agricultural Project. Other sporting events are held at the college also, to encourage locals and visitors to watch and support the school.
‘Tiwi College is a community for learning providing quality education that supports the highest aspirations of Tiwi young people and their families.” (Tiwi College’s Vision)
