Indigenous Education

Challenges of Integrating Indigenous knowledge into Systems of Education.

The Indigenous people in different communities around the world are currently taking actions demonstrating a major change in the manner in which indigenous ways and knowledge are integrated into the systems of education. As the shift evolves, not only are the indigenous people beneficiaries, because the addressed issues have equal advantage to the non-indigenous contexts. However, many problems have been manifested under the integrating of indigenous knowledge into western education.

One of the major challenges is that there has been very little literature addressing how to make the western educators understand the native ways and worldviews of getting to know how to constitute systems of knowledge in their rights and even how important it is to coexist such divergent systems in a community, organization and even people. Therefore, it is imperative the issues in a two-way street, rather than viewing them in a one-way challenge of making the native people buy into the western culture. It is also even harder to incorporate the indigenous knowledge into education if the native people are not willing to understand the western society. Non-native people also need to appreciate the coexistence of different knowledge systems and world views. Both nonnatives and the natives need to find ways of understanding on how to relate to the world in different dimensions and perspectives to incorporate indigenous knowledge into education.

Another challenge is the encroachment of Western civilization in the indigenous world, which changed the indigenous ways and also knowledge. The systems of education, spirituality, being, economy, governance, and behavior were wiped out after the Eurocentric intrusions that decimated the indigenous people. They were even taught new knowledge coming with the foreign languages, and compulsory school attendance law was enacted. This reduced the people’s freedom to practice their traditional values and be who they are. Since then, incorporation of the indigenous knowledge into education has been hard. Additionally, schools today do not allow the native children to learn their lifeways and languages and also the majority of the teachers are from outside countries who have little or no knowledge of the indigenous people and their ways. This has made it even harder to incorporate indigenous knowledge into education.

Common Curriculum Framework

The Common Curriculum Framework for cultural programs and Aboriginal Language main intention is to be a support document for regions within the western provinces, schools, and territories that wish to develop learning resources and curricula that deals with the Aboriginal Languages. The framework reflects the universal beliefs and values inherent in Aboriginal cultures. Its outcomes are specified and interpreted by the local developers according to the strength of their language, language goals, and cultural resources within the community.

In December 1993, the Western Canadian Protocol for Collaboration in Basic Kindergarten to Grade 12 was signed by all the education ministers from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Alberta, and Yukon Territory. Through the agreement, the common curriculum subjects’ areas like mathematics, science and English Language arts were developed. The Common Curriculum framework began in 1996 after a proposal for developing a project to address the needs of Aboriginal language education was put forward by an Aboriginal Languages Working Group of the WCP.

Three primary sources were used to develop the framework, including the elders, Aboriginal Teachers, and Literature review. All the sources were consistently making the identification of the Aboriginal language education foundation premises an easier task. However, the transformation of the premises into benchmarks of learning severely tested the boundaries of formal language education that were established. Despite the collaborative process used in the development of the framework is difficult, it was still the key to moving beyond the existing frameworks. This Framework is important because it represents the intuitions and sentiments of most Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal Languages Working Group also hopes that the framework will help in guiding the teachers, curriculum developers, and communities in their efforts to enhance language education.

The First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework

In 1999, a foundation was laid by an extensive public consultation process which involved more than 5000 participants, to develop the First Nations, Metis and Inuit Education (FNMI) Policy Framework. The Framework was then released by the Government of Alberta in 2002, which was then guided by five priority actions, which were by the Native Education Policy Review (NEPR) Advisory Committee (Education, 2008). The five strategies include; increasing learners access to education, increasing attendance, restitution and graduation rates, increasing the number of teachers and school personnel, facilitating continuous delivery and development courses and building working relationships that will help in contributing quality opportunities for learners in the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit.

There are several current actions referenced against the strategies and goals that are recommended in the FNMI Education Policy Framework, which also correspond to the five priority actions. The first actions are achieved through the provision of high-quality learning opportunities which are accessible, flexible, responsive, and affordable to the learners. Some of the Aboriginal language courses like the Four new provincial Cree Language and Culture have been developed and also the FNMI history, governance, land, cultures, and language perspectives have been infused in the Social Studies Program for K-12 curriculum. The second actions aim at achieving excellence in the achievement of the learners. One of its main actions includes the addition of five Full-time Equivalents in the Alberta Education to implement the FNMI Education Policy Framework. The third action ensures that learners are well prepared for the labor markets and post-secondary studies, while the fourth action ensures effective working relationships. The last action promotes a responsible and highly responsive ministry. One of its current actions is the Aboriginal Learner Data Collection Initiative.

Initiatives that may Contribute to Indigenous Education in Systems of Education

One of the best initiatives to help in recognizing the potential contributions of indigenous educations in the systems of education is through symposia and trips. The government should sponsor more symposia on Native Science, to enable students to gain more traditional knowledge of the indigenous communities. Books containing the information based on indigenous education should be published and incorporated in the school curriculum to provide more information about the local culture, environment, traditions, ways of life, governance and even learning methods of the indigenous people. This will help in sustaining the culture of the communities and maintaining the necessary resources for the continued survival of indigenous education.

Explanations of natural phenomena terms can also be cast first about indigenous terms; then it can be explained in Western terms. Students learning should be started with what they experience in everyday life and also what the community already knows. In this way, Indigenous education will be initiated in the systems of education through this, which will make the students more motivated to learn more. When the subject matter is presented in a way that reflects the livelihood of the students and their communities, then it will be very easy for them to grasp what is taught in class.

Additionally, the various concerns of indigenous education on the development of science-based information should be addressed through policies and programs. This can be done through the formulation of guidelines and principles in which researches carried out and also involving the development of various techniques that will help in incorporation of indigenous education in the processes. However, the most important action that should be taken in ensuring that students can carry out their research based on indigenous knowledge and information. This will help in the conservation of indigenous knowledge, and it will also enable students to gain more insights beyond what they are taught in class.

References

Education, A., (2008). First Nations, Métis, and Inuit education policy framework, progress report.