GRSJ224/Indigenous Student’s Right to Education

Overview

It is estimated that there are approximately 476 million Indigenous people are worldwide across over 90 countries. Although in the global population, the Indigenous population takes up over 6%, they approximately account for 15% of the extremely poor in the world and arrive at the low ratings of the human well-being index. One of the elements of its persistent marginalization and disadvantages is the lack of connections to quality or education that are consistent with the rights of indigenous peoples. Indigenous people commonly face certain limitations on education and victimizing against to exclude from the school access or forced to assimilate into the prevailing culture. Indigenous children are often denied schooling in their Indigenous language while educating ignorance of their Indigenous community’s history and traditional knowledge. It indicates that the school curriculum for Indigenous children is often far removed from the Indigenous cultural practice. Because of the effects of colonization and oppression historically, Indigenous people are vulnerable to discrimination and abuse and are unable to participate effectively in a manner that affects their rights for education.

A barrier of educational rights for Indigenous children

History

Rise of European-Style Leading Education in the 1600s

In near Quebec in Canada, the first known Indigenous educational institution, New France founded in 1620. These educational institutions for Indigenous operated by French Catholic missionaries such as the Récollets, Ursulines, and Jesuits. It was the rise of the European-led education for Indigenous students, and Indigenous people subjected to engaging in assimilating to the French cultures. France’s policy, which referred to as “franchising” at the time, was employed to Indigenous education, and it based on Récollets’ belief, which is Indigenous people to be transformed into “Frenchmen” before they turn into Christianity.

The residential schools trained to eliminate Indigenous language and they tried to replace it with English language, including Christian beliefs.

Appears of Residential Schools in the 1800s to 1900s

From the beginning of the 1800s, it began to establish residential schools in Canada in cooperation with the federal government and colonial government in the 1830s. By the 1900s, there were roughly 60 residential schools include all other parts of Canada. Due to the removal of Indigenous people from their traditional family and cultural connections, the residential school considered to be the ideal system for educating indigenous people by the colonial federal authorities. Rather than providing formal education, assimilation practices reinforced general government policies to assimilate indigenous peoples into the colonial society. Under the Indian Act in 1920, attending a residential school was mandatory for every Indigenous student, and going to any other institution for education was illegal. According to statistics until the 1940s, the proportion of Indigenous children who not profited from the formal educational experiences was higher than those who benefited from formal educational experiences. For example, many Indigenous children were repeating grades 3 and 4 in primary school, and only a small number had the opportunity to graduate and go to high school.

Discrimination

Disrespectful Life at the Residential Schools

In addition to isolation from the little academic learning in residential schools, for many Indigenous students, the residential schools were a “place of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse”. Indigenous children often faced limited and unsanitary living conditions in residential schools, such as being forced away from home, hair cut off, and wearing European-style uniforms. Although the number of students who have experienced sexual abuse is not known, based on one study, it is estimated that 48% to 70% of indigenous students in the residential schools have been sexually abused.

According to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, residential students have long talked about negative experiences in school, and they were not able to receive the same education in the general public school system including, the school did not receive enough funds. Many Indigenous students took part-time classes, and the rest of the time, they worked for the school. This involuntary and free-of-charge work presented as practical training for the Indigenous students, but many residential schools could not operate without it. Since there is little time spent in class, most of the Indigenous students reached grade 5 until they turn 18. At this point, Indigenous students sent away, and they were discouraged from receiving further education.

Disadvantaged school system/curriculum for Indigenous

A colonial curriculum of residential school rejects Indigenous students a culturally comprehensive education. For example, in the residential school, few Indigenous teachers speak Indigenous language, and therefore there were a lot more disengaged relationships between teachers and students. Teachers had a lack of awareness of the need to attach with the Indigenous communities to promote the process of real-world experiences and right content into the school curriculum for the Indigenous students. Although Indigenous students intend and eager to learn, they were not able to progress because there was a lack of full-time teachers with skills in teaching, such as basic mathematics.

Indigenous students taught to suppress their cultural identity. The residential school system meant to Christianize Indigenous people and reject their identities. Indigenous students restricted from using their language, and they had to speak either in French or English. That was the uncivil introduction to the school system, and many Indigenous students were silent in fear. When Indigenous students speak their language, they subjected to get a range of punishments, for example, their tongues had pins inserted in more extreme cases. At residential school, teachers also taught Indigenous students that ancestors, parents, practices, and cultures were wrong, and these led to deep divisions within various families. As a result, many Indigenous children displayed wholly disconnected from their families, traditions, and communities.

A legal and ethical right to education

“Education is recognized as both a human right in itself and an indispensable means of realizing other human rights and fundamental freedoms”. Within international law, Indigenous people admitted as rights holders. It indicates that Indigenous should have participated equally in the decision making that affects them, including rights to education as needed.

There are several international human rights instruments, for example, including the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, The Convention on the Rights of the Child, and ILO Convention 169. The right to have a high-quality education and culturally respectful practices for indigenous peoples protected by these international instruments.