If Indian and Northern Affairs wants to find some relevance in its decisions, perhaps some attention could be paid to the matter of educational funding. A segment of the departments reponisbility which isn't looking particularly well thought out or responding to the needs of First Nations.
Currently the funding process in place shows the federal government contributions continue to trail the provincial numbers, by roughly 1500 dollars per student. A shortfall that seems puzzling and one which doesn't seem to be easily explained.
It’s a situation that leaves schools in First Nations communities struggling to meet the demands of education on a reduced budget and something that surely should be one of the first things that the Harper government might wish to reconcile.
The Daily News outlined the frustrations of the current situation which North Coast MLA Gary Coons calls “a real struggle for equality in the education system.”
The full report was provided in Friday’s paper.
Villages struggle with poorly funded schools
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Friday, February 15, 2008
Page three
According to the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Education Steering Committee, the government of Canada is failing citizens by continuing to ignore the ongoing education crisis being faced in First Nations communities.
The major issue being faced in British Columbia is that of federal funding, which as of the 2005-06 school year lagged behind that of the province by around $1,500 per full-time equivalent student.
"This was in a period when the regional Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) office was working hard to reach parity of funding with the provinces. This was as near as B.C. First Nations schools came to comparable funding," said Jennifer White, communications officer for FNESC.
"It's safe to say that First Nations schools have always been under-funded, and that they do great things in spite of it."
Tyrone McNeil, the Chief Committee on Education representative for B.C. within the Assembly of First Nations says that they have been in a precarious predicament when it comes to getting resources for not only on-reserve schools, but for post-secondary education, and nearly every aspect across the educational spectrum.
"INAC shows a disregard to information we put forward, they don't correspond with us properly and they won't meet with us in a way that supports their renewal mandate," said McNeil. "They have tried to say that First Nations have not been doing a good job with education nationally, but about three-quarters of First Nations students attend public high schools."
North Coast MLA Gary Coons has been paying close attention to the struggle of First Nations educators, as it directly affects four band schools in his riding, including Lax Kw'alaams Academy, Chief Matthews School on Haida Gwaii, Acwsalcta School in Bella Coola and Bella Bella Community School.
"I am concerned that the Harper government is reneging on their obligation to implement a First Nations education policy that recognizes First Nations right to self-determination, and fully involve First Nations as the final authority in decision-making that directly affects their lives," said Coons.
"The lack of federal funds means thousands more First Nations students will continue to have a real struggle for equality in the education system - elementary, secondary and post-secondary."
A problem that all stakeholders identify and agree on is that INAC has not modified its educational policies regarding First Nations education for more than two generations, and federal funding for First Nations has not kept pace with funding for provincial schools for more than two decades, a funding shortfall that is estimated at $172 million. Ottawa's Centre for the Study of Living (GDP) concluded that First Nations educational attainment could benefit $71 billion by 2017 only if First Nations have the same graduation rates of all other Canadians, a goal the Auditor General has placed some 28 years away.
Currently, the INAC Band Operated Funding Formula (BOFF) does not take into account costs relating to running school libraries, vocational training, extracurricular sports and recreation, provincial reforms with an impact on curriculum teaching hours and support measures such as literacy, numeracy, character education, oral language, music, and homework assistance, or programs to support the protection, revitalization and conservation of Aboriginal languages.
Hartley Bay School is made up of nearly an entirely First Nations student body, and although they fall under the umbrella of School District 52, principal Ernie Hill says running the day-to-day operations continues to be a difficult task with less federal funding than other schools in the district.
"We're actually a provincial school getting the same funding as other First Nations schools, and we're just barely making it," said Hill.
"We run Nursery to Grade 12, and for secondary we get the same funding as elementary. It's a struggle."
Showing posts with label First Nations education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Nations education. Show all posts
Monday, February 18, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Green Party seeks educational investment in First Nations students
Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party is calling on Ottawa to invest more resources into the education of First Nations youth, providing for more funding to those schools on Canadian reserves, which have been getting by for too long on reduced budgets.
As part of their story on First Nations education, the Daily News combined May’s comments with details of how School District 52 is working with First Nations, in order to try to close the funding gap and increase the graduation rate of area First Nation students.
The details of the story were in Thursday’s Daily News.
Invest now in quality Aboriginal education, say Greens
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Pages one and three
The Green Party of Canada is calling on the government to better address shortcomings that exist in First Nations education in the next budget.
"Forty per cent of First Nations people live on reserves with growing youth populations and these young people are being disadvantaged by paltry education budgets," said Elizabeth May, Green Party leader.
"It is worrying that the government has taken no action to increase the budget for services and assure the quality of education received."
The Assembly of First Nations conducted education funding analysis and discovered that band schools receive an average of $2,000 less than provincial schools for each student living on-reserve.
Also troublesome is the 28 year education gap identified by the Auditor General in 2004. It was estimated that it will take 28 years for graduation rates of Aboriginal students to reach those of non-Aboriginal students.
As it stands, close to 70 per cent of First Nations students in Canada do not graduate from high school, and the Auditor General has warned the chasm will continue to grow.
“Naturally, an increasing population will result in a greater demand for services. It isn’t rocket science,” said Lorraine Rekmans, Green party Aboriginal affairs critic.
“If we don’t spend the money on education, we are shortchanging not only the youth but Canada as well. First Nations youth have potential to contribute significantly more to Canada, but we must first invest in their success. It’s past time for this government to address Aboriginal youth in the federal budget.”
Debbie Leighton-Stephens, District 52 principal of First Nations Education says that while funding for community schools is less than provincial schools, it has improved in recent years.
“I know over many years it was quite a bit lower than the funding that comes to public schools, and it’s always been a concern for Aboriginal leaders and educators in our province,” she said.
“In our district, the graduation rate last year was only 49 per cent for Aboriginal students, but for non Aboriginal students we’re higher than the provincial average, between 85 and 90 per cent.
However, Leighton-Stephens and other educators know what a long way School District 52 has come in raising graduation rates for First Nations students in the last ten years, from when Aboriginal graduation rates were as low as 20 and 25 per cent. That said, she would like to see more funding allocated for First Nations education in districts such as Prince Rupert, where class sizes and diversity of student needs is a major issue for educators.
“I know it’s an issue province-wide as well, because it is very hard for teachers to meet all of the needs that a high percentage of our students have,
said Leighton-Stephens.
“(More funding) would allow us to develop more programs locally to really engage our learners, not just to go away for post-secondary, but to give our young people more opportunities locally.
See tomorrow’s edition of the Daily News for further coverage on First Nations education and the problems being faced in our communities.
As part of their story on First Nations education, the Daily News combined May’s comments with details of how School District 52 is working with First Nations, in order to try to close the funding gap and increase the graduation rate of area First Nation students.
The details of the story were in Thursday’s Daily News.
Invest now in quality Aboriginal education, say Greens
By Kris Schumacher
The Daily News
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Pages one and three
The Green Party of Canada is calling on the government to better address shortcomings that exist in First Nations education in the next budget.
"Forty per cent of First Nations people live on reserves with growing youth populations and these young people are being disadvantaged by paltry education budgets," said Elizabeth May, Green Party leader.
"It is worrying that the government has taken no action to increase the budget for services and assure the quality of education received."
The Assembly of First Nations conducted education funding analysis and discovered that band schools receive an average of $2,000 less than provincial schools for each student living on-reserve.
Also troublesome is the 28 year education gap identified by the Auditor General in 2004. It was estimated that it will take 28 years for graduation rates of Aboriginal students to reach those of non-Aboriginal students.
As it stands, close to 70 per cent of First Nations students in Canada do not graduate from high school, and the Auditor General has warned the chasm will continue to grow.
“Naturally, an increasing population will result in a greater demand for services. It isn’t rocket science,” said Lorraine Rekmans, Green party Aboriginal affairs critic.
“If we don’t spend the money on education, we are shortchanging not only the youth but Canada as well. First Nations youth have potential to contribute significantly more to Canada, but we must first invest in their success. It’s past time for this government to address Aboriginal youth in the federal budget.”
Debbie Leighton-Stephens, District 52 principal of First Nations Education says that while funding for community schools is less than provincial schools, it has improved in recent years.
“I know over many years it was quite a bit lower than the funding that comes to public schools, and it’s always been a concern for Aboriginal leaders and educators in our province,” she said.
“In our district, the graduation rate last year was only 49 per cent for Aboriginal students, but for non Aboriginal students we’re higher than the provincial average, between 85 and 90 per cent.
However, Leighton-Stephens and other educators know what a long way School District 52 has come in raising graduation rates for First Nations students in the last ten years, from when Aboriginal graduation rates were as low as 20 and 25 per cent. That said, she would like to see more funding allocated for First Nations education in districts such as Prince Rupert, where class sizes and diversity of student needs is a major issue for educators.
“I know it’s an issue province-wide as well, because it is very hard for teachers to meet all of the needs that a high percentage of our students have,
said Leighton-Stephens.
“(More funding) would allow us to develop more programs locally to really engage our learners, not just to go away for post-secondary, but to give our young people more opportunities locally.
See tomorrow’s edition of the Daily News for further coverage on First Nations education and the problems being faced in our communities.
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