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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.