In a remote Northern Territory community 500 kilometres from Darwin, six students at Maningrida college, in the heart of Arnhem land are finishing their schooling. A little differently than most, they're graduating with an understanding of both western education and traditional cultural lore.
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00:00 Closing one chapter and opening another.
00:05 I felt excited. It was a long journey for me, like working hard and all that stuff and
00:12 putting much pressure.
00:15 Like thousands of other teenagers around the country, these Maningrida students are wrapping up their schooling.
00:24 But in a classroom 500 kilometres east of Darwin, Year 12 has looked slightly different for these six graduates.
00:32 Kids have not only their educational, I guess their responsibility to come to school,
00:37 but they certainly have a high degree of cultural and ceremonial responsibility too.
00:43 You happy with that Jermena?
00:45 Teachers have adapted curriculums to work with their students' unique requirements,
00:49 taking on a philosophy of two-way learning.
00:52 Our students can receive credits for demonstrating cultural authority, responsibilities and leadership.
01:00 Celebrating the end of their schooling, these remote students swapped caps and gowns for traditional ochre face paint.
01:09 With each student's family doing a bungal, a ceremony of song and dance, to pass on their song lines.
01:18 People here are sharing the knowledge in both ways, so revitalising our older culture and bring it back for our new generation to come.
01:28 While this graduation may look different, the emotions are the same.
01:32 Excitement at finishing 13 years of schooling and uncertainty about what the future holds.
01:37 But one thing's for sure, today is all about celebrating their achievements.
01:41 They've had to learn the Western way of education, at the same time trying to lead and execute their own ways of cultural learning.
01:51 So I'm incredibly proud of these students.
01:53 The next generation of leaders, doing it their own way.
01:58 or in a way.
01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]