Aboriginal Education Essay

The education of Aboriginal people is a challenge that has been a concern for many years and is still an issue. However, it remains the best way young people can climb out of poverty. With the colonialization and the oppression of Aboriginals, there have been many lasting side effects that continue to be affecting the Aboriginal youth today. “While retention and graduation rates have improved among urban Aboriginal population, an educational gap still remains between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in urban settings” (Donovan, 127). Many suffer from a diminished self-worth, as they do not feel valued and feel inferior to their classmates. In this essay I am going to outline the reasons Aboriginals are struggling, discuss what is being done

In many schools the programs, curricula and presentation of content do not with Aboriginal culture (Ogilvie, 46). These cultural barriers can discourage some Aboriginal students from enrolling in a post-secondary program or diminish their chances of earning a post-secondary diploma. In addition, during class, Aboriginal students often feel distant and a lack of connection because the stories and material have no relevance to them. There is only limited curriculum dealing with contemporary Aboriginal languages, cultures, history and political issues. For example, “The Toronto District School Board 's (TDSB 's) Aboriginal Studies secondary curriculum confirms RCAP 's findings of the board 's eight courses dealing with First Nations, Inuit and Métis content from Grade 9 through to Grade 12 in 2009, only three are currently being offered.” (Council of Ministers of

For First Nations youngsters, relevant education should include education about their heritage. Where Aboriginal children are in school with other Canadians, this part of the curriculum needs to be shared generally, as self-esteem grows when an appreciation of one’s background is shared by others.

The needs of Aboriginal youth are not being met in mainstream systems. Undoubtedly, with the high dropout rate of “7 out of 10 first nation youth drop out of school” (Donovan, 128), the school system is failing them. Across Canada only “23 percent of the Aboriginal population has their high school diploma” (Donovan, 129). Aboriginal people make up the youngest and fastest growing segment of our population, and yet many still have significantly less education than the general population.
As discussed earlier, mainstream education is misaligned with Aboriginal ways therefore, standardized testing creates a “pressure cooker atmosphere” many feel the stress which causes them to drop