By Bryan Eneas

Following Their Voices receives funding boost from province, Ottawa

Jun 8, 2017 | 5:00 PM

Indigenous education in Saskatchewan is getting a bump from the provincial and federal governments.

Representatives from the Government of Saskatchewan and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada were on hand at the Sturgeon Lake Central School on Thursday, to announce an additional $4.8 million in funds for Following Their Voices programming.

Following Their Voices is a provincially created program, which focuses on engaging Indigenous students, and increasing graduation rates in Indigenous communities.

“We regard that as a major target of this ministry, is to improve the First Nation graduation rate,” Minister of Education Don Morgan said.

Students from Sturgeon Lake gave a brief presentation on how Following Their Voices has directly impacted them. Over the last three years graduation rates have steadily grown, from 13 grads in 2014-2015 to a projected 27 graduates this year.

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“I was glad to see that,” Morgan said. “When you look at that, that’s a sign that there’s a commitment on the part of the teachers… but there’s also a commitment from the school, and the parents, and the community.”

The $1.55 million in funds announced by the provincial government is dedicated to the training of additional teachers within Following Their Voices, bringing the total up to 440 according to Morgan.

He said it won’t be new bodies coming in, but it will be training existing people to provide the programming.

A $3.3 million boost from the federal government will expand the Following Our Voices programming to an additional 11 schools, bringing the total to 27 schools across Saskatchewan.

Bob Maguire, the associate regional director general for Saskatchewan, said the federal government is very focused on student outcomes.

“Saskatchewan is making tremendous efforts at investment and trying to have a strategy for 2020 to lead the country in terms of graduation rates and success of First Nation, Aboriginal and Métis learners,” Maguire said. “Any opportunity we had to support Indigenous outcomes that could be positive in the province certainly seemed like something we could get behind.”

Data gathered in June of last year show “significant attendance increases,” along with a one per cent increase in credit attainment and a two per cent increase in graduation rates within Indigenous schools after just one year of implementation. According to a government release, the graduation rates of students who started Grade 10 within three years increased 32 per cent.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas