Inequalities in Education Are Destroying Opportunities for the Indigenous Peoples of Canada by Soroush

By Soroush Masoodian | For Walling’s Blogspot | Posted May 8^th, 2019 | 11:11 AM

Qiqirtaq High School, Gjoa Haven, Nunavut

More than one third of Aboriginal people haven’t earned a high school diploma, compared to the national average of 15%. Moreover, only 10.9% of Aboriginal people have a bachelor’s degree; whereas, the national average is 28.5%. The main reason for dropping out, as explained by Aboriginal male youth, is boredom; for females, the main reason for dropping out is pregnancy.  

Most of the Indigenous youth attend local schools operated by First Nations communities which are extremely under-funded. On average, a First Nations child going to elementary or high school receives between 20-40% less funding than non-Indigenous children. Furthermore, many reserve schools can’t recruit and retain qualified teachers, meaning most Indigenous youth aren’t able to receive education in courses that are required by universities.

Education is a treaty right. The government is denying Indigenous peoples rights by under-funding their education. While tuition increases 4.4% yearly, Federal funding increases only at 2.2%. Even though it is believed that all First Nations people receive free education, that usually is not the case. Many of the Aboriginal people who attend post-secondary, graduate with high student loans. According to the Aboriginal people’s survey, the number one reason why students don’t finish their studies is finances. Also, most Aboriginal youth are forced to leave their communities for school, even for high school in most cases.

Aboriginal poverty is costly to Canada, and something needs to be done. The first step towards improving the situation is to make post-secondary education available to people on reserve is through distance education. This way they don’t have to leave the families and friends and go through severe transitions and hardships in addition to school work. The second step would be to provide financial aid for Aboriginal people’s education. For instance, provide more scholarships and even lower rates of tuition in post-secondary institutes and colleges. Finally, employers need to be encouraged to hire qualified Indigenous employees. This way Indigenous youth will be more motivated to work harder, because they will have a high chance of succeeding.

Works Cited

Mccue, Harvey A. “Education of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-people-education.

Charleyboy, Lisa. “The Problem with Aboriginal Education in Canada and What You Can Do about It.” Jobpostings, 11 Oct. 2017, www.jobpostings.ca/career-guides/aboriginal/problem-aboriginal-education-canada-and-what-you-can-do-about-it.

Statistics Canada. “Education in Canada: Key Results from the 2016 Census.” The Daily - , 29 Nov. 2017, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/171129/dq171129a-eng.htm.