TRC Calls to Action #10

Legacy
Education

10. We call on the federal government to draft new Aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of Aboriginal peoples. The new legislation would include a commitment to sufficient funding and would incorporate the following principles:

i. Providing sufficient funding to close identified educational achievement gaps within one generation.

ii. Improving education attainment levels and success rates.

iii. Developing culturally appropriate curricula.

iv. Protecting the right to Aboriginal languages, including the teaching of Aboriginal languages as credit courses.

v. Enabling parental and community responsibility, control, and accountability, similar to what parents enjoy in public school systems.

vi. Enabling parents to fully participate in the education of their children.

vii. Respecting and honouring Treaty relationships.

Interestingly, I read an article yesterday which stated that Indigenous students in BC are graduating at the highest rate ever (70%), that the province provides about $74 million to support Indigenous students, and that there are 17 First Nations languages with approved curricula and another six languages on their way to being approved. So in BC, at least, improvements are being made...