Less than 50% of Indigenous students graduate from provincial schools, report says
Indigenous graduation rates are sliding in the province, according to Saskatchewan’s provincial auditor.
Based on the 2023 report released on Tuesday by Tara Clemett, less than 50 per cent of Indigenous students graduate Grade 12 within three years of beginning Grade 10.
“A strong start to education develops skills needed to be successful in school and life,” Clemett said. “Providing Indigenous students with opportunities to cultivate a solid understanding and foundation in reading, math, and science gives students the skills and knowledge to graduate.”
The Ministry of Education’s Inspiring Success: First Nations and Métis Pre-K–12 Education Policy Framework program has not garnered as much success as deemed necessary.
They have updated it with different initiatives since the inception in 2018 to help increase the graduation rate, but these rates remained relatively unchanged between 2018 and 2021.
“At the end of the day, having a high school diploma is more likely to allow you to, I guess, seek and obtain most employment opportunities later in life and hence, probably reduce the disparity between employment earnings between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people,” Clement said.
The report shows that 44.7 per cent of Indigenous students, compared to 88.7 per cent of non-Indigenous students, are graduating within three years of beginning Grade 10.
Clement has several suggestions laid out in the report, including expanding measures and targets for Indigenous students’ academic achievements, requiring enhanced reporting from school divisions on student success, and determining action plans to address root causes of underperforming initiatives related to Indigenous student success.
“Setting additional measures and targets that focus on improving Indigenous student achievement (such as numeracy, literacy, attendance, and Indigenous-student feedback and engagement assessments) would allow the Ministry to analyze relevant data and identify improvements to share with school divisions,” Clemett said.
SASK. POLYTECHNIC ENROLLMENT RATES
Indigenous student enrollment and program retention at post-secondary institution rates have both been on the decline since 2019, falling by nearly 30 per cent from 3,203 in 2019 to 2,286 in 2021, according to the report.
“Reducing disparities in educational outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students will support more equitable outcomes in attaining higher education,” Clemett said in a news release.
The report recommends that Sask. Polytech “expand performance measure targets to evaluate whether its strategies support Indigenous student success."
It found there are no targets around Indigenous student enrolment and program retention rates with both measures declining since 2019.
It was also suggested that the school conduct ongoing Indigenous community engagement and consultation that would encourage enrollment and report those results, as well as verify the Indigenous identity of staff in Indigenous-designated positions beyond only self-identification.
The auditor’s report said it was also found that Sask. Polytech did identify barriers to Indigenous student success and also implemented several initiatives aimed at increasing student success, but reiterated that further areas need to be improved.
In an emailed statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Advanced Education said Sask. Polytech has its full support to advance its Indigenous Student Success Strategy.
“The ministry appreciates the Provincial Auditor’s report and the four recommendations that will improve processes that support Indigenous student outcomes, and will continue to work with Saskatchewan Polytechnic to fully address any outstanding recommendations," the ministry read.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.