The Daily News had a sit down session with the Deputy Premier and Education Minister to learn more about the plans for First Nations education in the Prince Rupert area; they presented their findings in Wednesday’s paper.
NEW SYSTEM WILL IMPROVE ABORIGINAL GRAD RATES,
SAYS MINISTER
By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Pages One and Five
An historic agreement that gives First Nations’ band schools control over the education of their students could vastly improve graduation rates and the educational experience of Aboriginal students.
“What is allows is for First Nations to actually shape the curriculum that they will use with children.. it will allow them to actually use a more culturally relevant curriculum while maintaining the standards of the B. C. school system,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond in an interview with The Daily News on Friday.
“We’d be the first to admit that the system than we have in place has not worked well for Aboriginal students in the province.
“We want to be the best educated most literate jurisdiction and to do that we really need to address the needs of First Nations students.”
The tripartite agreement signed last week between the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNES), B. C. and Canada gives band schools control of the curriculum, recognizes the importance of students being able to transfer between First Nations schools and public schools, allows bands to offer their own graduation documents as well as for students to receive the standard Dogwood certificate, and be eligible for admission to post secondary institutions.
“I think that First Nations have been looking for that kind of jurisdictional arrangement for decades in the province,” said Bond.
”I’m also pleased that the federal Minister Jim Prentice has said that the model we’re looking at is likely to be replicated across the country, we’re leading the country”
While in Prince Rupert visiting libraries and literacy programs, the minister said much of what she heard about the success of local programming had to do with Aboriginal students feeling welcomed and included while in a culturally appropriate setting.
The new arrangement can only help improve learning for aboriginal students, she said.
“We don’t think that if we can give them that solid foundation in the early years and if the curriculum is more relevant and culturally appropriate, we will absolutely see graduation rates improved,” said Bond.
“One thing I’m impressed about with this school district is that their aboriginal completion rates are actually significantly higher than the provincial rate.
“That means they’re doing something right here in the school district. One of the things I came to learn about was the intensive literacy program for aboriginal children … those are the type of things that will improve that graduation rate.”
The province is also hoping that the innovative programs developed locally and the new programs that will be developed in band schools will ultimately have a positive effect on Aboriginal students across the province.
“There are over 650,000 aboriginal students in public schools, and we really need to look at curriculum changes there as well as things like language and heritage,” she said.
“I think together we’re going to embark on a new way of doing business in British Columbia. Frankly I think it’s long overdue … I think students will benefit and that’s the whole point of doing it.”
The July 5 agreement fulfills a July 2003 commitment between the Government of Canada and B. C., and the First Nations Education Steering Committee to work towards a framework for jurisdiction over the education of First Nations children who attend band schools.
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