Education for a Brighter Future?

Our class recently completed Module 2 which looked at some of the historical policies pertaining to Aboriginal education for the time period 1960-1990. Of the many documents that we analyzed there was a vision for a brighter future and a sense of hope and pride for what culturally responsive education can provide for First Nations communities. I came across another newspaper article this week that was titled “Indigenous inmates make up 45 percent of all people in Alberta’s federal prisons”
https://calgaryherald.com/news/crime/indigenous-inmates-make-up-45-per-cent-of-all-people-in-albertas-federal-prisons/wcm/7715d695-cde4-432c-946a-ff343d45dac6 This served as a sober reminder for what is at stake for our Indigenous communities. Of the many statistics in the article the most damning was that Indigenous people make up 5% of the Canadian population yet nationally the account for over 30% of the prison population. This statistic is not only alarming, it fills me with great sadness and disappointment as I believe that the failure of the education system for Indigenous students and their families has a direct correlation to these statistics.

How long are Canadian policy makers going to navigate definitions of “consultation” and “authentic engagement” and come to the understanding that the lack of action and meaningful change within our education system is destroying Indigenous families? Low graduation rates and lack of job training are only a few of the many factors related to the risks associated with being incarcerated. The odds are stacked against Indigenous children in this country and it is clear that the education system can be the key to reversing these statistics. It is disheartening that our government has yet to provide sustainable funding models for Indigenous education that supports the call for autonomy and self-determination as voiced by our First Nations leaders. So in this moment I must ask myself, what is the solution? From what I have learned in PME 820/ 821 and in my professional experience, I believe the solution lies in having highly trained Indigenous teachers, administrators, and councillors in our buildings. Our Indigenous students need to have immediate support in our schools from people who truly know what they are going through and are Indigenous themselves. I have taken steps to educate myself and decolonize my own mind and professional practice but I cannot attest to what it is like to grow up Indigenous in this country. As we move forward in this class I am going to look at policies that aim to support the recruitment and retention of Indigenous teachers in public schools. One thing that I know for sure, the statistics from this article are yet another example of the failure of our federal government in living up to their obligations and promises made to our Indigenous people. Words can be very hollow, they can be even hollower from a prison cell.