Leaders planning a forum
Aboriginal leaders believe First Nation education in the province needs to be reexamined and it will be done in the new year.
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) Vice-chief Simon Bird has announced that FSIN is to host a forum titled the Future of First Nations Education scheduled for the third week in February at the First Nations University of Canada. It is to be the first in a series of three education forums planned in the next two years. The upcoming forum is to examine the potential of, and set strategic directions for, post-secondary education and the labour market in Saskatchewan.
He said the idea for the event came directly from the chiefs.
“Our chiefs have specifically mandated our secretariat and my office to produce a forum and an opportunity for their members and all our First Nation members to engage in a practical forum,” said Bird.
Despite the fact that Saskatchewan is experiencing an economic boom, First Nations are not a part of it, said Bird.
“Some of the things that have been said by our chiefs are, ‘If there is an economic boom in this province, we don’t notice it because our people are still looking for opportunities at employment,’ ” he said.
According to FSIN, the province needs 10,000 workers now and 18,000 workers by 2018 and is presently building its labour force strategy. FSIN wants First Nations to be included in that strategy and a real investment in education and training is needed, said Bird.
“Without an education it makes it very, very hard to gain and retain employment,” he said.
The reality is that First Nation education is a very underfunded system, said Bird.
“There is no sustainable funding,” he said. “A lot of the dollars that we do get from the federal government comes with heavy commitments that serve the federal government’s priorities and not the needs of our students.”
He said a national education board of chiefs met recently and sent a letter to the federal government outlining their position on First Nation education.
“A change in law is not required for the federal government to provide sustainable and equitable funding for our children’s schools and systems,” said Bird. “We don’t need a change in law. We need a change in priority.”
He said the education forum will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to come together and speak about the issues regarding First Nation education.
“Industry is also saying that we need to be partnering with First Nations and aboriginal groups so we can fill the jobs,” said Bird. “I think it’s a win-win situation whenever you can start the dialogue and realize that the answers that we look for and seek in today’s Saskatchewan economy and nationally is sometimes what’s in your own back yard.”
He said there are little things that can be done to help get young First Nations into the workforce.
“Right now, the First Nation K-12 system does not have any vocational skills or driver licensing programming like provincial schools do, yet we all pay for this fee through SGI and that’s where provincial schools get their funding from. That doesn’t cost money, because we are already paying into it,” said Bird.
He believes the forum will help get the ball rolling when it comes to First Nation education. Bird would like to see First Nations get the same amount of funding per student as other provincial schools. At the present time, First Nation students receive $6,500 a year compared to $18,000 per francophone student, who have a language and culture component.