Aboriginal Education Opportunities

We're informed that the fastest growing demographic in Canada is among our aboriginal peoples, our First Nations. Canada is in need of young people to look to our future needs, and children of aboriginal ancestry are certainly in need of a bright future, one that will take them out of the congenital state of poverty that most status Indians live in on reserves, and into the greater community.

A recently released C.D. Howe Institute paper, by John Richards, a public policy professor at Simon Fraser University, renders some interesting, and desperately unfortunate statistics. They're interesting in that they point out that employment rates for aboriginals and non-aboriginals are identical, at comparable levels of education attained by each group.

Those aboriginal youth with a high school diploma also have an identical employment rate to non-aboriginal Canadians; just above 60%. Young people who have attained a trade or college certificate enjoy a roughly 75% employment success rate, whether of aboriginal or non-aboriginal background.

And comparing non-aboriginal graduates with aboriginals attaining university degrees, it would appear that aboriginals have a greater success rate in finding employment in their field of study. Sounds good, as though Canadian society is finally levelling the field of opportunity for First Nations youth.

The misfortune, the unfortunate side of the equation, however, lies in the large number of aboriginal children who drop out of school without attaining at the very least their high school diplomas. They don't appear to be self-motivated, nor is encouragement high within the community. And the situation appears to be deteriorating.

A reverse trend is taking place among aboriginal youth, with the drop-out rate increasing at the very time when, among non-aboriginals it has become commonplace for 90% to graduate from high school with completion certification. Whereas, among aboriginals the graduation rate appears to be dropping.

That doesn't speak well for a number of vital issues. First Nations youth will never be able to aspire to making the most of educational opportunities leading to secure and well-paid jobs. And, at a time when opportunities for future success loom large on the horizon. That means wasted opportunities for the young people, and wasted opportunities for Canadian society at large.

Federal funding under the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs doesn't appear to be the problem, for Indian bands and reservations. Those federal monetary supports are realized at $11,000 per year for every individual; First Nations, Inuit and Metis. It's an assistance, a help, but it doesn't seem to translate into great hope for the future, and perhaps that attitude helps fuel youthful disinterest.

And perhaps a solution might lie in funding on-reserve schools out of the hands of band councils. But other figures released to the public indicate that the provinces allocate inadequate funding to First Nations, Inuit and Metis schooling; underfunding each school-age child by thousands of dollars as compared to their non-aboriginal peers.

That underfunding per student is translated into fewer teachers, larger class sizes, and fewer supplies, along with inadequate classrooms and related equipment. Short-changing aboriginal children at the most critical times of their lives and in the most important area of education, is not to anyone's benefit. And it is a distinct blot on the conscience of Canada.

A focus should be on encouraging aboriginal children to understand just how critical to their future a sound education is. A culture of attainment, not one of resentful demands and despair must be conveyed to Canada's aboriginal youth. Much depends on it. It is the very least to which they are more than entitled.