A third possible outcome is a positive one. Evidence presented in the case of Nikira Mau, the Torres Strait Island man who died m the Brisbane City Watch-house in 1981, suggests that he received an above average level of education. After the Second World War he worked for about five years as a teacher on Yam Island, Rennell Island and Coconut Island in the Tortes Strait. The tragedy of Nikira Mau's death, and the circumstances which had led to him becoming homeless and alcohol dependant, are timely reminders that education does not of itself provide straightforward solutions for Aboriginal and Islander people, and that education must be viewed within the broader history and context of community relations. 16.1.12 School-based education is essentially a service provided for and funded by the state.
Participation is compulsory, at least up to a certain age.
Non-attendance as a result of alienation and failure in the schooling system can bring young Aboriginal people into direct contact with the courts, another of the state's institutions. They are more likely to be perceived as a threat to the norms and property of non-Aboriginal people, and to be subject to a process of criminalisation as a result. Section 16.6 looks at the role of school non-attendance in introducing Aboriginal youth to the juvenile justice system.