Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education
Established	1960s
Type	Public
Location	Batchelor (main campus), Northern Territory, Australia
Website	https://www.batchelor.edu.au/

Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (generally known as Batchelor Institute and formerly known as Batchelor College) provides vocational education and training, formerly TAFE, and higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is based in Batchelor, Northern Territory in Australia.

Batchelor Institute sits with Australian universities as a 'Table A' tertiary education provider. Like an increasing number of universities, Batchelor Institute is a dual sector institution, providing Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training courses. The Institute is the first Indigenous-controlled Higher Education institution in Australia. It is also unusual in that most of its students are over 30 years of age, and a high proportion of its students are female.

History

Batchelor Institute began in the mid-1960s as an annex of Kormilda College, a residential school for Aboriginal students on the outskirts of Darwin, Northern Territory. Short training programs were provided for Aboriginal teacher aides and assistants in community schools.

In 1974, the college moved to Batchelor (100 kilometres south of Darwin) and has been at its present site since 1982.

A second campus of the college was established in Alice Springs in 1990 to address the educational needs of Aboriginal people from Central Australia. Other annexes were opened in Darwin, Nhulunbuy, Katherine and Tennant Creek.

The Commonwealth Government recognised Batchelor College as an accredited independent higher education institution through the Higher Education Funding Act 1988. This meant that BIITE could issue its own degrees and other tertiary qualifications without outside involvement in the same way as universities, and also be funded like them.

The college was granted autonomy as a public sector agency in 1995. It became independent under Northern Territory legislation on 1 July 1999.

Campuses and annexes

Batchelor Institute is at 44 locations throughout the Northern Territory and eastern Kimberley, Western Australia.

Campus/Annex Locations

• Alice Springs, Northern Territory
• Batchelor, Northern Territory
• Darwin, Northern Territory
• Barkly Tennant Creek, Northern Territory
• East Arnhem Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory
• Katherine, Northern Territory
• Kununurra, Western Australia
• Yarrabah, Northern Territory

Study Centre Locations

• Alekerenge, Northern Territory
• Angurugu Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory
• Alyangula, Northern Territory
• Barunga, Northern Territory
• Borroloola, Northern Territory
• Elliot (Gurungu, Northern Territory
• Gapuwiyak, Northern Territory
• Gunbalunya Oenpelli, Northern Territory
• Hodgson River, Northern Territory
• Jilkminggan, Northern Territory
• Kalkaringi, Northern Territory
• Lajamanu, Northern Territory
• Maningrida, Northern Territory
• Milikapiti Snake Bay, Northern Territory
• Milingimbi, Northern Territory
• Minyerri, Northern Territory
• Watiyawanu Mt Liebig, Northern Territory
• Murrupurtiyanuwu, Northern Territory
• Ngukurr, Northern Territory
• Nguiu, Northern Territory
• Ntaria Hermannsburg, Northern Territory
• Numbulwar, Northern Territory
• Nyirrpi, Northern Territory
• Papunya, Northern Territory
• Purlangimpi, Northern Territory
• Ramingining, Northern Territory
• Timber Creek, Northern Territory
• Umbakumba Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory
• Utopia, Northern Territory
• Wadeye Port Keats, Northern Territory
• Willowra, Northern Territory
• Yarralin, Northern Territory
• Yirrkala, Northern Territory
• Yuendumu, Northern Territory

External links

• Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education home page