Addressing low literacy rates requires adequate financial and human resources in First Nations
The story below and the report from Statistics Canada clearly demonstrates the results of under funding for First Nations education and community support systems. Dealing with the results of this lack of funding for First Nations and their schools by putting more money into adult literacy is required but by avoiding the real challenge of adequately funding First Nation education, this literacy issue will just continue to grow in the future ...
Literacy rates low
Pamela Cowan, January 08, 2008
A majority of urban-based First Nations and Metis people in Saskatchewan do not have the literacy skills to cope in today's society, according to a Statistics Canada study.
The detailed study, released Monday, found 70 per cent of off-reserve First Nations and 56 per cent of urban-based Metis scored below the benchmark considered to be the minimum for an individual to cope in a complex knowledge-based society.
The study also found the proportion of low-scoring adults was much lower among non-aboriginals, at 37 per cent, in urban Saskatchewan.
But as grim as the numbers are, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network Inc. says the study doesn't capture the full extent of the problem.
"There's nothing from the north, there's nothing from the reserve, nothing from any of the institutions where there are a lot of people who are struggling with literacy issues, so this is not an accurate reflection," said Carol Vandale, executive director of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network.
When the survey was planned, there was a conscious decision to over-sample the urban population in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, said Evelyne Bougie, author of the study.
"This was the segment of the aboriginal population that's projected to grow rapidly over the next 10 years," she said.
Although the report first came out in November 2005, Statistics Canada released a more detailed breakdown of the First Nations and Metis literacy levels on Monday.
The report found that employment was significantly higher among those who scored at or above the Level 3 benchmark than those who scored below.
In urban Saskatchewan, about 77 per cent of First Nations at or above Level 3 were employed, compared with 55 per cent of those who scored below. The pattern was similar in Manitoba.
The results point to the need for much more work to be done with adult aboriginal people, Vandale said.
"What we're trying to do as an organization is try to get in touch with what kind of literacy programming would work," she said.
"What special barriers do aboriginal people face?"
Although more research is needed, one major barrier is the impact of the loss of First Nation language.
"If you're in a family that lives in a small community in which some people speak some Cree and your exposure to English is limited, then your ability to learn English well in your home life and take it into your workplace is limited," Vandale said.
"Literacy is much more than reading. It's based in that but it extends so much further -- (to) health, justice."
Lack of access to literacy programs on reserves and in the North, and the stigma that surrounds illiteracy are also barriers, she said.
"We're trying to turn that around and say that literacy is learning for life," Vandale said.
The numbers aren't new, but "they are deplorable," said Mary Ann McGrath, the executive director of Regina's Early Learning Centre.
One way the centre is trying to improve literacy skills for children, preschool to age five, is via the Aboriginal Prints Literacy program, which incorporates First Nations and Metis culture.
"This really helps families increase the literacy activities they do in their own home and increases their involvement in their children's education," McGrath said.
"At the same time, we also find that a lot of parents who participate in literacy and other parenting programs that we offer -- that's often a first stepping stone for them as individuals to gain the confidence and desire to pursue their own educational goals," McGrath added.
© The Leader-Post (Regina) 2008