Item III: Essential Requirements for an Effective Education Strategy Thank you Madame
Chairperson.
We note that the Human Rights Council Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’
mandate is similar regarding a study on Education and supports Canada’s statement in that regard.
However, Indigenous Peoples are sometimes considered numerical minorities. Since Education of
Indigenous students in our country has been declared to be in crisis, we will use all fora for help
especially regarding religious and linguistic rights ofminorities which might include us. We have two
specific comments:
1. Budgetary Allocations paragraph 17, 30 of the Recommendations:
In Canada, the two percent (2%) funding cap has caused serious problems, resulting in
discrimination and obstacles, ie two thousand dollars ($2,000) less per Indigenous student, results
in:
·Overcrowded classrooms;
· Low teacher retention rates due to less money for teacher salaries;
· No support for teacher assistants;
· Outdated textbooks and limited teaching tools;
· Little or no support to keep up with technology (ie. Limited access to computers, outdated
software, no computer lab, no technician/teacher or no computers at all);
· No support for libraries or resource centres;
· No support for physical education, sports or extra curricular;
· Little or no support for First Nations’ languages;
· Little or no support for children with disabilities;
· Little or no resources for maintenance of schools
Note as to recruitment of teachers in your concept paper this situation adds to a serious issue of
retention of teachers because of lower salaries
2. Legislation to Implement Education Rights:
As to legislation we draw your attention to the fact that the Canadian Constitution recognizes and
affirms Treaty Rights (s.35) so Treaty rights to education are being violated, eg. policy decisions.
Note also the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at least 14 Articles are about
Education.
In conclusion please note the Auditor General of Canada stated in May of 2008 “First Nations
children should have equitable access to a level and quality of services comparable with those
provided to other children.”
Therefore we recommend immediate removal of discriminatory budgetary cap, especially where
there are existing legal Treaty rights to education; otherwise it is an on