Marthakal News - school attendance

I am delighted to hear so many students were attending school on Elcho Island. I understand Gawa Christian School has 38 enrolments and around 32 kids come to school each day. This is a fantastic result.  Shepherdson College has 562 students at its hub school in Galiwin'ku with around 69% attendance and 80 students at its four homeland schools elsewhere on the island averaging 60% attendance.

School attendance is very bad in some Northern Territory communities, so it’s great that most Elcho kids are eager and excited about coming to school every day.  I would like to thank families for putting in the effort to get kids to school, and to Shepherdson College and especially Gawa Christian School: you are doing an excellent job.

Without a good education it’s very hard to earn a good living, to get the chance to become, for example, a sports trainer, a doctor or an engineer. Keep up the good work and hopefully we will soon see every single child on the island going to school, and getting the education that is so important for their future.