VOA慢速英语:Australia Links School Attendance with Aboriginal Aid

Parents in South Australia's Aboriginal lands may lose some of their financial aid if they do not send their children to school. New rules link school attendance with payments for parents living in poverty.
南澳大利亚原住民地区的家长可能会失去一些财政援助，如果他们把自己的孩子送去上学的话。新规定将学校出勤率和补贴贫困家长联系了起来。

Warren Mundine is Prime Minister Tony Abbott's top advisor on issues concerning Aboriginals, native Australians. He disagrees with connecting school attendance and aid. Instead, he urges the government to find ways to improve attendance without punishing parents.
Warren Mundine是Tony Abbott在澳洲土著问题上的高级顾问。他反对将学校出勤率和援助联系起来。相反，他敦促政府在不惩罚父母的情况下，想方设法提高出勤率。

"Now, I know governments find that punitive measures need to happen but I think they're really a last resort."
“我知道政府认为必须采取惩罚措施，但我认为这应该是最后一招。”

Mr. Mundine says the situation can change if tribal leaders support education.
Mundine先生称，如果部落首领支持教育，情况就能有所改观。

"We need to work with parents and we need to work with communities because we are making a massive cultural change here."
“我们需要与家长合作，我们需要与社区合作，因为我们是在这里进行巨大的文化变革。”

But other officials say they believe the threat of stopping aid will force families to take education more seriously.
但其他官员称，他们认为威胁停止援助将迫使各个家庭更加重视教育。

In South Australia state, only fifty percent of children stay in school after the age of fifteen. In some areas, as much as ninety percent of Aboriginal children struggle to read and write.
在南澳大利亚州，只有50%的孩子在15岁后继续上学。在一些地区，高达90%的原住民儿童读写都很费劲。

The state government says it has special programs for Aboriginal children. It says students work with their parents and teachers to develop a personal learning plan. The plan is re-examined each year. Local officials also say the public schools provide special workers -- called mentors -- who work individually with Aboriginal students who need extra help.
州政府称，它们有针对原住民儿童的特殊项目，学生们同家长和老师一起制定个人学习计划。该计划每年将被重审。当地官员还表示，公立学校提供特殊员工，即所谓的导师，他们单独帮助需要额外帮助的原住民儿童。

At year seven, Aboriginal students can join a program called Enter for Success. It helps students deal with the change to high school. The program is designed to improve student attendance at school. The students can choose which high school to attend. School officials say students receive support in reaching the goals on their individual learning plans.
在7年级时，原住民学生可以参加一个被称为Enter for Success的项目。它会帮助学生们应对高中的变化。该项目的目的是提高学生出勤率。学生们可以选择就读哪所高中。学校官员表示，学生们会获得实现他们个人学习目标的支持。

The state of Western Australia also has special programs for Aboriginal and other ethnic groups. The state operates a program called Focus Schools. The program centers on basic skills like reading, writing and numbers skills. Sixty-seven of these public Focus Schools serve students in 79 very rural areas. Most are primary schools.
西澳大利亚州也有针对原住民和其它族群的特别反感。该州管理着一个被称为重点学校的项目。该项目聚焦于阅读、写作和数字技能等基本技能。67所这类公立重点学校服务于79个农村地区。其中多数是小学。

Some students on the secondary level study with Internet teaching programs. The state's minister for education and child development said the Focus Schools program also includes 118 coaches working with students in 134 schools. About 670,000 indigenous peoples live in Australia.
有些中学生通过互联网教学计划学习。该州的教育和儿童发展部长表示，重点学校项目还包括了118位在134所学校同学生们一起合作的教练。大约有67万土著居住在澳大利亚。