First Nations and FirstNationsSchools in British Columbia:
An Overview
British Columbiais home to 198 First Nation communities. Each community enjoys its own unique culture, language and values.
There are approximately 34 First Nations languages in British Columbia, representing 8 distinct language families andover60% of the First Nation languages in Canada.Reversing language loss is a priority for First Nations and language use and preservation is central to the philosophy of First Nations schools.
The historical context
In the 1920s and 1930s, the Canadian government passed legislation making attendance at residential schools mandatory. In the 1960s, as the devastating residential school era was winding down, the federal government began creating elementary federal schools on reserves, integrating children into nearby provincial schools, and boarding First Nations children in urban centers in order for them to attend public high schools.
In 1972, the National Indian Brotherhood – now called the Assembly of First Nations – issued a landmark paper titled Indian Control of Indian Education. That paper called for local control of education by First Nations communities and parents. The federal government began transferring administrative responsibility for on-reserve schools to First Nations. First Nations began establishing their own schools on reserve.
However, for decades, First Nations have worked within an inefficient and under-funded education system over which they had little real control.
Today
Today, there are 128on-reserve First Nations schools in BC, with over 100 of these schools providing elementary and/or secondary instruction for approximately 6000 students.
The First Nationsschools include a wide range oflanguages, cultures, values and perspectives reflective of their school communities.Theyrange in size from less than ten to nearly 300 students, and they have between one and dozens of staff. Some schools are located in or near urban centers, while others are extremely remote. While some of the schools have been operating for almost three decades, others have been in existence for only a few years.
The funding guidelines established by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) require that all First Nations schools meet the provincial learning outcomes established by the British Columbia Ministry of Education.
First Nations schools in British Columbia are committed to providing quality instruction as well as nurturing, caring environments for children. They also have a mandate to emphasize and promote conventional academics as well as First Nations cultures and languages, and they strive to reflect the values and traditions of the communities they serve.
Even though the results achieved in First Nations schools have been encouraging, despite the challenges, there is still a long way to go.
Preparing for Jurisdiction
First Nations schools work together through a provincial umbrella organization called the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA), which is operated and directed by First Nations schools. In 2005/2006, 123 of the 128 First Nations schools in British Columbia were members of the FNSA. The FNSA works closely with another independent provincial umbrella organization, the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC).
For the past seven years, First Nations schools have worked with the First Nations Schools Association to develop and implement their ownschool assessment processes, which include external assessments and an optional certification component. Over 75 First Nation schools have participated in the assessment process to date. They are also developing their own data collection processesto collect standardized, reliable data and accurately demonstrate the tangible results ofthe important work being done in First Nations schools.
At the same time,First Nations in British Columbiahave been dealing with the provincial and federal governments to negotiate First Nations jurisdiction for on-reserve, K-12 education in British Columbia. Formal jurisdiction negotiations have been happening for the past six years.
On July 5th, 2006, representatives of First Nations and the federal and provincial governments signed an agreement in recognition of the right of First Nations peoples to make decisions about the education of their learners. The next step is the passage of federal enabling legislation.
We are looking forward to building upon the strengths of First Nations schools to get tangible, improved results for First Nations learners through jurisdiction, and believe this is a fully achievable goal for First Nations communities and schools.