Lifelong Learning: Post-Secondary Education (PSE) and Skills Development

Summary Of Discussions - First Nations Breakout Session

Jurisdiction

The key elements of jurisdiction in the discussions:

• where control and decision making are exercised by First Nations;
• creating/recognizing external and internal institutions (i.e. houses of learning)
• purpose of jurisdiction is to support First Nations goals and values and deal with decolonization;
• can be applied to support the need to change systems and policies;
• supports to the system through realistic/direct funding;
• a First Nations led process working with government;
• post-secondary education (PSE) is a federal mandate not just a social responsibility;
• lifelong learning is a First Nations right; and
• the goal of education is survival as unique and distinct peoples.

We have reached the goal when First Nations are:

• healthy with a similar or better Human Resource Development Index;
• participants in First Nations and global economy as equals;
• well-versed in First Nations languages, cultures, traditions, history, perspectives and worldview;
• modern evolution of culture and traditions;
• federally recognized and resourced regional First Nations post-secondary institutions, constituted, managed, and governed by First Nations;
• First Nations have shared jurisdiction (governance) within mainstream post-secondary institutions;
• First Nations determine the purposes for which post-secondary funding can be spent;
• change the mindset at the first level of government not at the third or fourth levels;
• federal government recognizes First Nations jurisdictional authorities in education/skills development and in partnership with the First Nations approach the provinces/territories to secure their collaboration for its implementation;
• self-governing and non self-governing First Nations, federal and the Yukon territorial governments with resources and capacity;
• cooperation - First Nations have the mandate of working with the federal government at the prime ministerial level as well as monitoring the process;
• that jurisdictional recognition be accompanied by appropriate funding to be transmitted directly to First Nations educational skills development authorities;
• education funding must reflect needs of community and as such it must be flexible;
• funding for First Nations institutions should be viewed as an investment into the overall development of First Nations and First Nations peoples regardless of residency (policy/legislative to ensure legitimacy/movement by federal government);
• First Nations institutions supported by additional, comparable, ongoing, sustainable funding based on need/attendance;
• First Nations institutions and individuals (PSE specialists) are compensated for their non-administrative and non-staff contributions to mainstream educational institutions (i.e. committees, speakers, guidance on First Nations issues, etc.);
• no taxing of PSE funding as it’s a treaty and inherent right;
• First Nations languages be recognized and affirmed as official languages;
• managing a First Nations education system;
• need a transition process to move from program delivery to managing an education system;
• must be controlled at the community levels;
• recognize the geographical context and diversity of the various First Nations throughout the country in terms of their educational capacity and levels of development;
• First Nations create and implement the template for education. Don’t use the mainstream template which is bureaucratic, foreign and cumbersome;
• services delivered in a single window approach;
• level playing field throughout system with the financial and human resources to create capacity;
• First Nations have to have control over their institutions and must receive recognition from federal/provincial/territorial/municipal governments and overall populations as credible educational institutes;
• need to be relevant, responsive, flexible, affordable and accessible based on a First Nations value system and outcome funded;
• addressing deficiencies in the current policy and systems;
• eliminate the waiting list so no First Nations students are held back from PSE and skills development;
• recognize and invest based on need in the First Nations controlled post-secondary institutions and in initiatives First Nations have already developed or aim to develop;
• make provincial governments accountable to First Nations for the education funding they receive;
• First Nations research and curriculum for educational content;
• review the many studies/research papers/documents/federal initiatives from the past 25-30 years—reinventing the wheel is not the thing to do;
• address decolonization;
• anti-racist education;
• values—based education;
• traditional teachers and experts;
• gender equality analysis in development and review of policies and programs;
• not still talking about those ideas in 10 years; and
• ACT NOW!

Access and Integration

What would improve access to PSE?

Immediate

• develop a mechanism directed by First Nations to improve access to PSE
• funding needs to increase with the cost of living expenses, make sure PSE funding is based on need and the current market costs;
• community-based programs designed, developed, delivered by First Nations people—target resources and capacity development; and
• remove funding cap.

Long Term

• creating and revitalizing learning culture within First Nations communities (i.e. negative teenage peer pressure, awareness of career opportunities and the educational connection);
• strengthening First Nations learning and culture in all aspects of context/process; and
• legislated and mandated cross-cultural training for all PSE staff across Canada.

Jurisdiction

• federal recognition of its fiduciary responsibility;
• First Nations involvement in changing funding eligibility criteria;
• remove cap on funding, provide additional funding, change federal policy on supports for Aboriginal peoples with disabilities, tax credits/corporate investment, timely bursaries, tuition waivers/indexing/cost of living and research endowments;
• amend funding formulas (e.g. Yukon First Nation administration of PSE);
• collaborate with federal departments;
• partner with industry (i.e. stay in school, education and job link);
• establish business relationships with learning institutions;
• link communities with professional institutes;
• support the individual;
• support transition out of high school;
• support participation in skills development;
• support transition into employment;
• provide basic supports, child care, housing and equipment;
• increase literacy levels;
• make adjustments to the system;
• provide a solid K-12 education system;
• remove policy restrictions;
• provide community-based programs through increased resources and capacity development;
• learning institutions with flexible admission requirements, increase student, board and senate seats and graduate program access;
• population demographics reflected in educational participation (e.g. studies, careers and gender balance);
• legislated and mandated cross-cultural training for all staff/institutions;
• foster a learning culture with students;
• more counselling and education/career awareness; and
• role models.

How do we improve coordination and collaboration in the area of PSE?

Immediate

• resourcing for a First Nations accreditation board;
• initiate capacity building foundation;
• Canada issue an equivalent to a U.S. executive order for First Nations college and institution funding;
• scrap Indian Studies Support Program (ISSP) in favour of institutional supports for First Nations;
• explore legislative support for First Nations institutions; and
• address resourcing supports required for students.

Long-term

• capacity development foundation that is fully functional; and
• sustainable skills strategy for careers not pseudo-slavery, minimum wage.

Short-term

• revamp Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement (AHRDA) strategy;
• jurisdiction is the first and preferred route with a legislative basis for First Nations colleges;
• more resources (i.e. core, research, development, capital, infrastructure, per capita, endowment and capacity);
• establish and work from a First Nations definition of collaboration, the relationship and decision-making processes;
• shape the quality of education;
• jobs, healthy individuals, strengthening identity and personal development;
• forecast requirements and plan accordingly;
• establish regional and national networks;
• indigenous institutes;
• sharing information;
• track and assist students;
• dialogue, work and partner with a wide range of institutions;
• joint curriculum and program delivery;
• portability of credentials; and
• educate the general public.

How do we improve access to skills development?

Immediate Actions

• coordination, planning and communication;
• integration and linkage among stakeholders, funders and communities both regional and inter-regional;
• facilitate a network;
• Aboriginal skills development and education database (i.e. a web-portal);
• streamline administration of skills development programs by reducing the paper intensive process;
• community access to programs;
• long-distance education delivery;
• client focused programs and services;
• pre-employment programs that recognize that adult students have been out of a structured system;
• recruitment plan for graduates to get employment through incentives for entry level employment;
• First Nations have ability to analyse data collection;
• train delivery groups to better understand issues of people with disabilities;
• supports to learners;
• access to child care/transportation;
• program flexibility;
• funding cuts reinstated;
• more funds for skills development programs; and
• provide financial security to people who want to transition from a financial support program to skills development training.

Long-term Actions

• financial resourcing;
• improve marketing of skills development to First Nations people;
• provide counsellors with training;
• address basic literacy and entry level requirements;
• increase First Nations training for high skilled and high paying jobs; and
• create the willingness and capacity to improve coordination and collaboration by addressing the following points.

Tangible federal government commitment to:

• full First Nations jurisdiction and control;
• control and involvement of the Yukon First Nations in the skills development and delivery in the Yukon;
• adhere to First Nations definition of consultation and collaboration including decision making;
• immediate and effective resourcing;
• human resources planning capacity at the community level;
• resources and experts to support special needs of youth;
• libraries in communities not just in schools, computer technology, science labs, industrial arts and distance education;
• regional all-stakeholder summits;
• integrating Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement (AHRDA) and social assistance funding;
• address barriers including child care and transportation;
• F/P/T/A/Municipal governments address student housing issues;
• inter-departmental cooperation (Human Resources and Skill Development Canada/Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (HRSDC/INAC)) and intra-departmental (region to region) collaboration and coordination to enable First Nations aspirations;
• understanding by all of what lifelong learning means and entails no social passing;
• a First Nations controlled university/technical house of learning in each province/territory;
• eliminate discriminatory access barriers to provincial grants;
• industry and apprenticeship partnerships;
• facilitate career development;
• examine entry level accessibility;
• address other barriers (i.e. racism); and
• affordable institutional programs closer to communities.

Capacity and Sustainability

How do we build a greater capacity to engage in an informed discussion on implementing the vision and ideas of First Nations?

• jurisdiction and resources;
• strategic plan looking at time, costs and means of transfer;
• goodbye Indian Act, hello self-government; and
• concept of nation building must be an integral component.

What does the government need to do to enable progress on PSE and skills development?

• immediate formation of Aboriginal institutions (e.g. Aboriginal Intelligence Agency);
• long-term sustained funding to establish an Aboriginal national lifelong learning network that will ensure regular communication and sharing of best practices and resources.
• ensure First Nations representation at key decision-making levels on matters of PSE and skill development;
• increased funding for career decision-making tools that are age appropriate, institutes, regional education authorities, research and research infrastructure; and real partnerships with government.

How do we know progress is being made?

• more PSE students;
• higher Human Development Index;
• more trained and educated First Nations adults;
• sustainable, ecological, environmental, culturally based First Nations economy; and
• comprehensive strategy for social assistance recipients to be part of the lifelong learning picture.

Immediate actions required

• invest now, save later; and,
• dust off the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) and implement the recommendations.

Research and Curriculum Development

What changes and improvements need to be made in research and curriculum development to address the needs of First Nations?

• research goals must be First Nations planned, directed and implemented with guidance from First Nations ethics review board;
• indigenous knowledge comes from indigenous languages, traditions and history and is critical to inform First Nations education and lifelong learning;
• First Nations culturally relevant research methodologies includes participatory action research;
• more research dollars and access to all existing research dollars by and for First Nations;
• First Nations content must be an integral part of mainstream curricula;
• increase resources to develop the capacity within First Nations controlled institutions and First Nations sanctioned processes to do research and curriculum development;
• research on gender specific curricula and the role of women (i.e. the matrilineal processes);
• accurate, true First Nations history of the distinct First Nations linguistic and cultural groups;
• First Nations research on democracy, justice and traditional governments; and
• diverse research and learning environment.

How do we get to those changes?

• holistic First Nations controlled centres of excellence in research and curriculum development in every region;
• support by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Council of Arts for indigenous controlled research;
• indigenous research chairs in higher educational institutes filled by culturally fluent Aboriginal researchers;
• First Nations language revitalization;
• First Nations centres of research by and for First Nations, controlled by First Nations and for the benefit of First Nations communities;
• First Nations certification authority;
• more First Nations communities have research protocols;
• coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders;
• increased capacity to address First Nations needs;
• First Nations, Métis and Inuit researchers; and
• First Nations instructors will have a worldview.

How do we know progress is being made?

• when First Nations culture and worldview is integrated in all levels of lifelong learning;
• First Nations lifelong learning research council is in place;
• First Nations indicators of success;
• more First Nations research chairs;
• more students graduating;
• more First Nations teachers, researchers; and
• successful and pertinent research outcomes.

Application of the Crosscutting Lenses—First Nations

All three lenses were applied throughout the discussions in the breakout room. The overall intent of the discussion was to ensure that the educational systems created were inclusive to all members of the community. Through the use of the gender lens, issues of access, particularly for women and people living with disabilities, were continuously addressed.

There is an immediate need to review and revamp all educational policies and program guidelines, applying a gender equality analysis and persons living with disabilities analysis, by First Nations for First Nations.

When developing First Nations curriculum, a gender analysis needs to be applied for all educational curricula. As well, gender specific curricula be created addressing the role of women, an understanding of the matrilineal process and the uniqueness of First Nations feminism.

To build capacity for women in the education systems, First Nations women need to sit on school boards, university and college boards; and human resource plans be created to include First Nations women.

A gender lens observation on access was that post-secondary education participation by men is much less than that of women. There is a need to identify and address the issues that do not facilitate men’s participation (e.g. peer pressure, design of the curriculum). Other issues of access included the need for child care, transportation and specific training programs for persons living with disabilities to ensure participation in the educational system.

In developing a First Nations educational system, it is essential to recognize the diverse geographical context of the various First Nations throughout the country so that all First Nations people have access to education (university preparation programs, distance education). Research needs to be done on diverse learning environments (i.e. learning mothering skills at birthing centres, anti-violence at shelters, etc.) and effective alternative teaching approaches could be implemented.

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The documentation contained on this website does not necessarily represent the views of any government or National Aboriginal Organization. The purpose of this website is to share information related to the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable: background papers, Facilitator's sectoral and final reports, agendas and media announcements.

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