The first sod has been turned on a $24 million building which has marked the start of a new era for Indigenous education in the Northern Territory.
The Federal Minister for Higher Education, Senator Chris Evans, moved the first shovel-load of soil for the $24.15 million Australian Centre for Indigenous Knowledges and Education (ACIKE) at a sod turning ceremony held today.
A collaborative venture between CDU and the Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE), ACIKE will focus on Indigenous education needs and will be the largest building of its type in an Australian university.
CDU Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Leadership, Professor Steven Larkin said the Centre would significantly expand Indigenous education in the NT, including delivering interactive learning with connections to 16 remote sites.
"The Centre will increase the capacity of CDU and BIITE to deliver positive outcomes to Indigenous communities and the Higher Education sector in areas relating to Indigenous knowledges and education," Professor Larkin said.
“The Centre will be responsible for teaching and research in the multi-disciplinary fields of Indigenous knowledges and other general disciplines including nursing, education and arts at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.”
The ACIKE will encompass state-of-the-art facilities, supported by cutting edge technologies, and is scheduled for completion in mid-2012.