Media.Knet.Ca

From http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/arp/aev/pubs/ev/fns/fns-eng.asp   

Conclusions

First Nations SchoolNet (FNS) remains an integral part of First Nations education on-reserve. The program has enhanced the educational experience of First Nations students, provided them with valuable skills and capabilities which have increased their competencies, improved their outlook on learning as well as their confidence in their futures. The program has also provided students with the option of staying in their communities with their families as they complete their education through distance learning which has positively affected retention and graduation rates while providing access to opportunities similar to students from provincial schools. This is in line with the Government of Canada's commitment to increasing educational outcomes for First Nations students as well as INAC's commitment to improving overall education programming.

The use of a decentralized Regional Management Organization (RMO) delivery model is seen as both effective and efficient and RMOs have developed partnerships with both the public and private sector to reduce costs, maximize opportunities and provide economies of scale. This has largely supported the success of the program in positively contributing to educational outcomes, cultural education, cultural and linguistic preservation, mitigating isolation and allowing access to other essential services in the schools and the communities. FNS has provided the backbone that is being utilized by other partners, enabling the leveraging of resources.

In terms of program design, issues around consistency of program objectives combined with a lack of performance measurement data made it difficult for the evaluation to assess the achievement of expected results.

FNS has produced broad community impacts, in that connectivity provided to the community by FNS and, in some cases, the hardware and software, are being used by other groups including adult learners, parents, Elders, youth and women's groups. The Government of Canada recognizes that knowledge and technology are key to future opportunities and that investments in these areas are critical. Sustainability of access to technology, ICT, e-learning, video-conferencing and other opportunities is not sustainable in First Nations communities without a direct, targeted investment.

While FNS is meeting real needs in both First Nations schools and the broader community, communities continue to struggle with the effects of geography, distance, and related accessibility issues. The inability to reach connectivity objectives and provincial comparability is significant. Furthermore, evolving ICT and e-learning has meant that equipment investments in schools are not keeping pace with technological advances and will soon outlive their usefulness to access distance learning, videoconferencing and other connections essential to enable access to learning resources. Funding levels to FNS have not allowed this program to keep abreast of technological advances nor to attain its original objectives.

Recommendations

It is recommended that INAC:

1. Consider the renewal of First Nations SchoolNet in order to ensure access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and e-learning which contributes to the overall objectives for education and which supports the educational outcomes of First Nations learners.
2. Explore options to ensure adequate technical support is available to SchoolNet, to maximize economies of scale.
3. Integrate First Nations SchoolNet into the overarching Education program within INAC to maximize the impact of ICT to facilitate learning.
4. Develop a Performance Measurement Strategy for First Nations SchoolNet that enables the collection of relevant performance measurement data to be able to measure progress towards articulated outcomes. This strategy will need to be integrated into the broader strategy for Education as a whole.
5. Undertake a review of connectivity to determine whether the broader connectivity needs of First Nation communities are being met by First Nations SchoolNet, whether this is an appropriate role for the program, and whether the Federal Government has a role to play in meeting the broader connectivity needs of First Nation communities.