Preparing Lajamanu’s young men for the future

Hard working and pro-active School Attendance Officers (SAOs) are achieving significant results in the community of Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. This year, three teenage boys have shown outstanding attendance levels of between 80 and 100 per cent. Jerry Patrick, Elijah Kelly and Henry Rose are all participating in trade and work skills training which includes job planning, work safety and construction projects.

Henry Rose, whose attendance level is at 100 per cent, says he feels good about himself because of school attendance.

“I get up every day at 5:30am and I’m excited to go to school. I like to learn how to read and write. I like my class teacher,” Henry said.

Classmate Elijah Kelly who says he wants to become a mechanic or work in a workshop, loves maths.

“I enjoy problem solving; thinking about new ideas and using the maths that I learn, to do work in the school workshop,” Elijah said.

All three students say that they enjoy each day due to the variety of activities and the types of subjects. To beat the heat, the students start the day in the trade shed where they are currently constructing tables and benches for the school grounds. Afterwards, they return to class for Maths and English.

All three of the teenage students are great role models for other students in the community.

The SAOs can take much of the credit for the increase in school attendance and the rejuvenation of the Remote School Attendance Strategy (RSAS) in Lajamanu.

The team is always promoting school attendance in conversations with families and carers, and not just during work hours, but often in their own time, at night and on weekends.

In one case, the male officers visited the men’s business camp, and with the approval of elders, talked to the boys in ceremony about school attendance, conveying the message that smart minds make strong men.

And a smart mind is more likely to find satisfying employment.

“If I learn as much as I can at school I hope that it will give me a better chance to get the type of job that I want,” Elijah said.

“School has interesting things to do and learn. I enjoy being challenged and school is the right place for me to be. Staying at home is boring.”

Henry Rose says that he wants to be a council field officer one day and use the skills that he’s learned at school.

“Going to school every day and listening to my teacher is the best way to achieve my goals,” Henry said.