Dubbo College Senior Campus principal Andrew Jones said teachers, students and parents had been staggered by a federal government decision to stop funding the Dubbo component of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP).

“Our program has been an outstanding success,” Mr Jones said.

“We cannot understand why students in the Dubbo College brokerage are being short changed when IYLP funding is continuing for private schools and non-government organisations.”

Mr Jones said meetings had been organised with Member for Parkes Mark Coulton and Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson.

The community was also being urged to get involved in the hope people power could help persuade the federal government to continue IYLP funding for Dubbo College.

Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion told the Daily Liberal money would be provided “to allow current scholarship participants to finish year 12”.

“This means all existing participants will continue to be supported until 2017,” Mr Scullion told the Daily Liberal.

“My department has confirmed this with Dubbo College.”

Mr Jones said Dubbo College has been involved in IYLP since 2009 and had provided assistance for 150 students.

Initially a solo participant, the college had became a broker for other public schools when the government funding model changed.

The brokerage had involved Dubbo College, Coonabarabran High School, Young High School and Campbelltown Performing Arts School.

The majority of the IYLP students had come from Dubbo College because it was the largest school in the group and had the highest number of Indigenous students.

Since the program’s inception at the college IYLP students had achieved an almost 95 per cent Higher School Certificate completion rate. 

Graduates from the program had gone on to university study, apprenticeships for trades and the IPROWD pre-training program for the Goulburn police academy.

“I am proud of what has been achieved through IYLP,” Mr Jones said.

“It is pleasing that the government has allowed current year 11 students to finish the program but there appears to have been no consideration for younger students who will not have the opportunity to develop leadership skills over six years.

“The Dubbo community will be the loser if IYLP is not able to continue. We will not be able to support our top end Indigenous students, the leaders of the future.”

Mr Jones said IYLP students addressed an Aboriginal Education Consultative Group conference in Dubbo last week.

“I was really proud as they spoke about the program, what it has meant for them and how it had changed their parameters,” he said. “Conference participants were very supportive of what Dubbo College has been able to achieve and angry about cuts to IYLP funding.”

Mr Jones said IYLP participants had developed community spirit and made connections with Dubbo groups and organisations as part of their leadership training.