Access to education with Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer

KPMG Talking Tertiary

Stephen Parker is joined by Dr Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, Acting President of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association (NATSIPA) which is a national network of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander postgraduate students, non-Indigenous student supporters and Indigenous Elders and Alumni. NATSIPA's objective is to ensure that Indigenous Australians can access postgraduate education in a fair and equitable manner and it enables this by valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders diverse cultures and histories and supporting their control over their own and their family’s education.

In this episode Sharlene discusses her lifelong commitment to learning, she has a PhD in management from the University of Newcastle and is currently completing a graduate certificate in tertiary education, management and governance, and the importance of advocating for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander post-graduate students at a national level. Sharlene and Stephen touch on the ways in which COVID-19 has disproportionately disrupted students in remote and rural areas where access to digital technology can be unreliable as well as the pitfalls of online learning which can lead to students feeling disconnected and isolated. They also discuss the importance of increasing funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are the most disadvantaged group in Australian society. For more information about NATSIPA, visit their website.

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