New curriculum coming
British Columbia is the first province in Canada to mandate a course in English First Peoples for secondary school students.
“There’s really good work happening and I was excited when I first heard the Ministry of Education put a mandatory Indigenous-focused graduation requirement,” Okanagan Skaha school trustee Kathy Pierre said at this week’s education committee meeting.
“It made me reflect on my own journey through education. Growing up here in B.C., I didn’t learn anything about
Indigenous people of Canada, or in the province of B.C. or myself in the publicschool level. I was able to learn in postsecondary on my own teaching (career) journey. I took as many courses as I could that answered my questions, filled my curiosity.”
Pierre, a Penticton Indian Band member, was elected rural trustee to the Okanagan Skaha board in 2018, the first time in nearly three decades the PIB had a trustee on the board.
“The Indigenous-focused graduation requirement is incredible news, I’m super thrilled” district vice-principal of education Dustin Hyde told the board.
“All high schools are in good shape in terms of timetabling, they’re good to go. The next order of business is supporting our teachers who haven’t taught this subject before. Any time you’re teaching a new course, there’s a lot of planning anxiety around how to prepare. We are fortunate to have a provincial rock star in our district who had been teaching this course for a long time, Ms. Erica Fitton.”
Princess Margaret Secondary School in Penticton is a leader in British Columbia. ‘Maggie’ has had EFP courses for more than a decade and presently offers more courses than any other public school in B.C., Hyde said.
In his presentation to trustees,
Wednesday, Hyde included a video where senior students from Maggie praised the EFP course offerings.
Penticton Secondary also offers some EFP courses, but it will be a first for the district’s third high school, Summerland Secondary School.
Hyde said the courses are ready to go for September 2022. Senior administration has been working on timetable changes with principals. The board has also reviewed engagement and feedback implementation with students and partner groups, including the Penticton Indian Band.
“The EFP courses have changed the world views not only of kids, but also their families,” Hyde said.