Native enrollment expected to rise

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The number of Native students in Saskatoon schools is rising dramatically and education officials say the trend is likely to continue for years to come.

Enrollment figures from the Saskatoon Catholic school system show that 195 of the 251 new students enrolled in the system this year are of Aboriginal descent.

Similar figures from Saskatoon's public school board weren't available but officials there say Native enrollments have been rising steadily over the past few years.

In anticipation of this recent phenomenon, school boards are hoping to incorporate more elements of Native culture into their classrooms and are trying to add more Native teachers to their payrolls.

"This is a trend we've been anticipating for some time now and it's something we think will continue for quite a few years," said Ken McDonough, director of education for the Catholic school board.

The new wave of Native students is a trend that's been expected since the department of education released a demographics study that dealt specifically with the province's burgeoning Native population.

The study suggested that the province's Aboriginal population would increase from approximately 136,000 in 1995 to about 204,000 in 2011.

The report also predicted the Aboriginal population would reach about 250,000 between 2020 and 2030.

According to McDonough, the Catholic system has already taken steps aimed at making its schools more responsive to new Native students.

The Catholic board is hoping to add a cultural resource teacher and is also hoping to use Native Elders as teachers at some schools.

In Saskatoon's public school system, school administrators are also hoping to add more Native teachers to their payroll.

The board has already made some efforts to increase Aboriginal content and has expanded programs which appeal to Native students.

Meanwhile, the University of Saskatchewan is also anticipating a similar influx and several colleges are formulating strategic plans to recruit and retain Native students.

The university already has a variety of programs designed specifically for those students. Those programs include the Native Law Centre, the Native Studies department and the Indian Teachers Education Program (ITEP).

Michael Atkinson, the vice president of academics at the U of S, says a number of colleges have taken steps to encourage Native enrollment.

At the same time, he said, there hasn't been a campus-wide effort to address the significant demographic changes that are expected.