On 21 June, National Indigenous Peoples Day, communities across Canada hold events that celebrate Indigenous cultures and contributions. To highlight this special day, the following HillNote focuses on examples of Indigenous leadership in elementary and secondary education, as well as some current issues. Across Canada, Indigenous people are regaining control over the education of their children. Through Indigenous leadership in elementary and secondary education, Indigenous students are connecting with their culture, language and perspectives, both in the classroom and on the land.
Overview of Indigenous Education
Education is a social determinant of health, connected to the well-being of individuals and communities. According to one researcher, education can ensure that “children, youth, adults and Elders have the opportunity to develop their gifts in a respectful space” and that all community members can contribute to society. First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have their own approaches to education, where learning is generally holistic, lifelong, experiential and rooted in Indigenous languages and cultures.
Residential schools, operated by the federal government and Christian churches between the late 1800s and 1990s, disrupted Indigenous forms of education. At the schools, children were forbidden from practising their culture and speaking their language. The education provided by these schools intentionally demeaned Indigenous peoples’ history, culture and ways of life and was generally of low quality. The schools, which were based on European models, formed an important part of Canada’s efforts to end the existence of Indigenous Peoples as distinct entities through a process of assimilation.
Today, the federal government provides funding for eligible First Nations elementary and secondary students living on reserve to attend a First Nations, federal, provincial or private school. Most First Nations children on reserve attend schools operated by First Nations, while many Indigenous children who do not live on reserve attend provincially or territorially operated schools. Some also attend schools operated by Indigenous governments.
Indigenous Leadership in Elementary and Secondary Education
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control culturally appropriate educational systems and institutions. For decades, Indigenous peoples have asserted their right to control their education systems. Some First Nations assert a treaty right to education. Some First Nations, as well as Inuit and Métis organizations, have developed strategies or frameworks for education, whereas others are working to articulate their vision. Indigenous youth leaders have emphasized the importance of culturally appropriate education for Indigenous students, including involving Elders and knowledge keepers and land-based learning.
Some Indigenous peoples have regained jurisdiction and law-making authority over elementary and secondary education through modern treaties, self-government agreements or other types of agreements. The examples below highlight some of the ways that Indigenous peoples have exercised law-making authority over education, established school boards, and provided culturally appropriate education to students based on Indigenous ways of learning and values.
- The 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement led to the creation of distinct school boards governed by Cree and Inuit. The Cree School Board and Kativik Ilisarniliriniq offer elementary and secondary education that meets provincial standards and is focused, respectively, on Cree and Inuit ways of life. Kativik Ilisarniliriniq offers Inuktitut instruction, land-based education, and an online learning platform of local resources in Inuktitut, English and French, developed in partnership with individuals such as teachers, Elders and knowledge holders. The Cree School Board teaches Cree language and culture and has adapted its school calendar to allow for breaks during the spring goose hunting season.
- A 1997 self-government agreement between Mi’kmaq First Nations in Nova Scotia and the Government of Canada created Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, an education authority that supports 12 Mi’kmaq First Nations in the province by creating educational resources and working to improve the quality of education. The self-government agreement also recognizes First Nations’ law-making authority over primary, elementary and secondary education on reserve. Schools in 12 Mi’kmaq First Nations offer cultural and language programming. For example, the Eskasoni Elementary & Middle School, provides a Mi’kmaq language immersion program for students up to Grade 4. As well, Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey has an agreement with the Government of Nova Scotia to support Mi’kmaw students in the provincial school system and share information to support the transition of students between the two systems.
- The 2017 Anishinabek Nation Education Agreement between 23 First Nations in Ontario and the Government of Canada established the Anishinabek Education System, comprising a corporation known as Kinoomaadziwin Education Body (KEB), local education authorities and regional education councils. The agreement recognizes participating First Nations’ law-making authority over primary, elementary and secondary education. The KEB distributes federal education funding, works with these First Nations to establish education standards (such as conditions for granting diplomas and certification) and prepares resources to support First Nations in providing language and cultural programming and special education. First Nations also signed an agreement with the Government of Ontario in 2017 to support the transition of students from Anishinabek First Nation schools to provincial schools.
- In 2022 and 2023, seven First Nations in British Columbia signed agreements with the Government of Canada that recognize their law-making authority over kindergarten to Grade 12 education on their lands pursuant to a framework agreement between First Nations, Canada and British Columbia signed in 2006, as well as federal and provincial legislation passed in 2006 and 2007, respectively. First Nations with signed agreements can work together through the First Nations Education Authority to exercise jurisdiction over areas like certification and regulation of teachers and certification of First Nation schools.
Other types of agreements concern education service delivery and design but do not involve First Nations exercising law-making authority over education. For example, Regional Education Agreements (REAs) between First Nations and the Government of Canada, introduced in 2019, cover topics like funding arrangements, service standards and accountability mechanisms for kindergarten to Grade 12 education. Recent REAs include the 2021 agreement with the Elsipogtog First Nation Education Authority in New Brunswick, and the 2022 agreement with the First Nations Education Council in Quebec, which comprises 22 First Nations communities in the province.
Some agreements, such as the 2016 Education Governance Agreement that established the Manitoba First Nations School System, are considered neither REAs nor self-government agreements. This First Nations–designed school system aims to provide “quality, holistic, and culturally relevant education for First Nations students” in 12 First Nations. For example, within this school system, the Bloodvein First Nation worked with Logics Academy to develop a Minecraft map that integrates knowledge from Elders with Bloodvein landscapes, enabling students to connect with the land in a virtual environment.
Some Indigenous peoples are also working directly with provincial, territorial and/or local governments to achieve their aspirations for Indigenous-led education. In 2021, ten Yukon First Nations and the Government of Yukon signed an agreement that led to the establishment of the First Nation School Board. The board currently operates 11 schools where any Yukon student, including non-First Nation students, can attend. The schools use the British Columbia curriculum and incorporate Indigenous content into subjects like math and science through the participation of Elders, and the inclusion of cultural activities on the land, as well as instruction in First Nations languages.
Relationships between Indigenous peoples and school boards have led to the integration of Indigenous languages and cultures in the classroom. For example, in Saskatoon, a partnership between the Central Urban Métis Federation and Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools led to the creation of the St. Michael Métis School of Excellence, where Métis culture, perspectives and the Michif language are part of elementary school learning. In northern Labrador, Inuit language and cultural programming are supported by the Nunatsiavut Government for students in primary and secondary school.
Current Issues in Indigenous Elementary and Secondary Education in Canada
Indigenous-led education initiatives seek to regain control over Indigenous education, support Indigenous student success and contribute to closing longstanding gaps in educational attainment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Statistics Canada collects data from individuals who self-identify as Indigenous about high school completion, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Change in the Proportion of Self-reported Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People in Canada Aged 25 to 64 with at Least a High School Credential, 2001–2021
Source: Figure prepared by the Library of Parliament using data obtained from Government of Canada, An update on the socio-economic gaps between Indigenous Peoples and the non-Indigenous population in Canada: Highlights from the 2021 Census.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has noted that educational attainment gaps can be explained by a number of factors, including inadequate federal funding for First Nations education and the legacy of residential schools, including forced attendance and experiences of abuse, which contributed to distrust towards the education system.
Research suggests that measuring educational attainment and learning, including through high school completion rates, does not adequately reflect the value of experiential and holistic learning or traditional educational activities. From November 2013 to May 2015, the First Nations and Information Governance Centre conducted a survey that measured the state of First Nations learning among First Nations youth aged between 12 and 17 using indicators like learning from Elders, and knowledge and use of a First Nations language. The survey found, for example, that “most [First Nations youth] often reported learning their language from teachers or school staff (60.8%), grandparents (53.5%), and parents or guardians (49.9%).”
Further Reading
National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education. Keeping Our Traditions Strong.
University of Manitoba, National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Reports.
By Brittany Collier, Library of Parliament
Categories: Education, language and training, Indigenous affairs, Social affairs and population