Education money on the way, says Nault

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The federal budget saw $35 million set aside for First Nations education over the next two years and the minister's working group's report will have a lot of influence on how it's spent, the Indian Affairs minister said.

Minister Robert Nault announced on Feb. 12 that his working group on First Nations' education had submitted its final report. The minister invited the press, students, and educators to the cafeteria of the Amiskwaciy Academy, an urban Native secondary school in Edmonton, to mark the occasion. Phyllis Cardinal, the principal of the school, was a member of the working group.

Nault publicly committed to engaging stakeholders during consultations on the report on a variety of topics to narrow what he sees as the unacceptable gap in academic results between First Nation students and other Canadian students.

These topics include school systems, parental involvement, teacher recruitment and retention, and early childhood development. These themes rise from the final report of the working group, entitled Our Children- Keepers of the Sacred Knowledge, which compiled existing research to make broad recommendations to the minister.

The group made 27 recommendations to the minister beginning with a call for jurisdictional discussions aimed at providing "lifelong education for First Nation learners on and off reserve" and covering everything from ensuring better administrative structures for First Nation education systems to protecting and promoting Aboriginal languages and cultures.

The group called for action to eliminate salary inequities for teachers in band operated schools and provincial schools and asked for a single stream of government funding for First Nation education. They also called on the minister to work with First Nation educators and the Association of Universities and Colleges to improve access for First Nation students and academics.

The main theme of the report was First Nation control of education with minimum government interference.

"The final report from the National Working Group on Education gives us a solid basis from which to move forward," said Nault. "I agree with the working group that First Nation communities have to be the drivers in this process, and together we will determine the appropriate action needed to raise the standard of First Nation education."

Nault was accompanied by Secretary of State for Indian and Northern Affairs, Stephen Owen, who has been given the responsibility for the education file.

"First Nations education is a significant priority for the government of Canada," Owen said. "We know that education is the key to a better quality of life for all First Nations and we are prepared to take action," he said.

Corrine Mount-Pleasant Jette, professor of Engineering and Computer Science at Concordia University in Montreal, a co-chair of the working group, spoke to the audience that was made up of students and educators.

Mount-Pleasant Jette echoed the feelings of many critics of the department who say Indian Affairs has known what was needed all along, thanks to the advice of several commissions, but has just not found the political will to act.

"Our mandate was not so much to invent new solutions as it was to give voice to those who came before us. We weren't there to re-invent the wheel," she said.

She added that the concept of Indian control of Indian education was first raised 30 years ago.

"The principle was correct but the practice was flawed," she said. "In [the report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples] the alarm was sounded but the warning wasn't heard."

The minister said he has set aside $2 million to pay for the consultations.

Nault has invited the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) to participate in the regionally-based discussions, which will have a two-pronged approach. First Nations will take the lead role in the engagement of First Nation parents, administrators and other education stakeholders, while officials from Indian andNorthern Affairs Canada, in collaboration with First Nations representatives, will lead discussions with provincial and territorial education technicians, school boards and stakeholders. INAC is also seeking to work with provincial and territorial governments to draw on their expertise in education.

AFN sources confirmed the minister invited the national chief to a meeting where he raised the idea of working together on education. They say the national chief made no commitments but he is interested in participating in education talks. The AFN executive will discuss the proposal in the near future. The AFN source said the organization is wary of working with the minister given the recent history of budget cuts and the bitterness over the First Nations governance initiative, but education is seen as too important an issue to just dismiss the minister's offer without giving it due consideration.