FSIN and province join forces to improve Aboriginal education

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A new agreement between the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and the Saskatchewan department of Learning will pave the way for a pooling of resources aimed at improving education for First Nations students.

The agreement, the first of its kind in Canada, was signed Feb. 27 by Minister of Learning Judy Junor, and FSIN Vice-Chief Lindsay Cyr, who holds the education and training portfolio.

Essentially what the agreement does is set up a system of co-governance in the province-run education system, explained Danette Starr-Spaeth, who is with the FSIN Education and Training Secretariat.

"It gives us a voice, essentially, and it allows us to provide the provincial education system with, I guess, more tools to make Aboriginal education more effective," she said.

"Within the urban centres and within our own communities, there's a very big drop out rate, and we have to address that. Because our kids are the next workforce in this province. We're not bringing in immigrants like other provinces are, and so we have to look towards our kids. And we basically told the province that, and they're really acknowledging it, and this is an indication of that, that they need to work harder to ensure that our kids actually graduate out of secondary, right out of Grade 12, and go into post-secondary training. We don't have the tools by ourselves, and they don't have the tools, so together, in partnership, we think we can be more effective."

The new partnership will be implemented by both the FSIN and the province from the top, right on down. The Learning minister and vice-chief responsible for education will meet on a regular basis, as will the technicians involved in day to day operations.

"And we'll be able to advise them in the areas of policy changes," Starr-Spaeth said. "We're going to also work together on curriculum development, and on making changes to the education system that will have a positive impact on our kids. Teacher training is another big one. We want to be able to do student tracking, to be able to track the students - where are they, and if they're not in school, why aren't they in school? We know there's a large number of kids that aren't attending any system, and they're hanging in the gangs, and those are the ones that we want to address. Because I believe, and we believe, that all our kids have potential. So we want to work to address the needs of those kids. And also kids who are doing really well, how do we support them. So this will provide us a support mechanism for First Nations youth. "

This new approach to providing education to First Nations students is a very positive move, Starr-Spaeth said, "because it gives us the opportunity to address the kids in the urban centres as well, and the chiefs really want to be able to do that. They know that all these kids, they all are our kids, regardless of where they're residing. And we know there's a lot of problems in the provincial system, and our hands have been tied to date, really. We could speak on behalf of our kids that are in that system, but we really had no clout. So this provides us with an avenue to be able to, in a good way, a positive way, advocate for those parents and kids, because there's lots of them in the provincial system, and they don't have a voice."

While this new partnership approach has only recently been formalized, the FSIN had already begun working more closely with Sask Learning, and some of the results of that closer relationship are already being seen within the province's schools. One example is the Teaching Treaties in the Classroom project, a collaborative effort of the Office of the Treaty Commission, the FSIN and the province.

"And then co-op ed, we've also done some work there on some curriculum, teaching our kids how to get into the workforce, how to do their resumes, all that kind of stuff. And that's actually an accredited class now at the high school level. So there has been a little bit done, lik I said, this fiscal year, and the impacts will already be starting to be felt. But definitely by September of this year, we want to see some real movement."

While changes to the curriculum will be one focus of the newly formed partnership, the new approach will take a broader, more holistic approach to fixing what's wrong in the provincial system, Starr-Spaeth explained.

"Currently, with the 2001 census, it indicates that Aboriginal youth are a quarter of the youth population in this province. So for every four youth, one is Aboriginal. So the fact that we're not getting the education that's needed for us to compete in society, and be part of society, we have to address that. So it's not just changes to the curriculum, it's changes to the way things are done."

While Starr-Spaeth hopes that some of the positive changes that are brought about in the provincial schools to benefit First Nations students will also be able to be used to benefit students in First Nations run schools, she stressed that the partnership will in no way affect the autonomy of First Nations schools.

"Things like the Teaching Treaties in the Classroom, that curriculum will be used right across the board. Tracking, you know, finding out where our students are, that's going to benefit us. We're not, however, letting the department of Learning, Sask Learning, have any influence, so to speak, or co-governance on our system," she said.

"We have a really strong system in place. Sure there need to be some improvements, but we've had control now for 30 years, and we're definitely not letting that slip. We can't do that."