Aboriginal struggles at elite school reveal stark realities in Canadian education

So why were they accepted in the first place if they were this unprepared. Just shows the stupididy of race based policies.

I wonder how many disadvantaged white kids would have done any better?

This speaks volumes about not only aboringinal education but education in the province as a whole. I know one high school here has started an aboriginal education program designed to keep them in school and from all accounts it seems to be a success so maybe next time the powers that be decide to race base scholarships they should ensure the kids have at least had a chance at success.

This is just another instance where some dipshits political correct agenda did more harm than good, for both the students and the races.

It also illustrates the issues that these kids face. Having worked with the RAVEN program in the military, I have heard first hand some of the shit these kids face on a daily basis. Yes, they were unprepared, but irrespective of that, as is pointed out, the college is able to support those that come to it unprepared.

Frankly, having a few of these kids get through this is great - even better if they make something of themselves from their efforts and society's money.

Its a miracle any of them make it. Poor, abused, under funded...and we expect them to compete in the real world??? Maybe the only thing we can do right is fund education to the same level as non-aboriginals. But we don't.

When I was doing my B.Ed there was a study being discussed as to why native students did so poorly in university. Because it was set up by whites for whites, it was felt that it was a language and cultural problem that would only lead to failure for those not raised in a European culture. This was shot to hell when it was pointed out that Asian(Japanese, Chinese and Koreans) students consistently scored the highest. Nine times out of ten these students were on their own as well, far from home, so the argument that Native students were removed from their familiar support structure didn't hold up to scrutiny either.

Success comes from within. I managed to earn my MA in a Taiwanese university, that employs both Western and Confucian systems.

Generally, I hold natives to a high standard that I don't think they live up to - but that's the adults. The kids are failed by their parents and communities and often come with a ton of social problems.

Not quite the same, Shep.

Even if we did, I suspect it would not matter. The communities and parents do not prepare these children to operate in the real world. They barely operate in the village for that matter.

having taught in a fly in community and in a war torn country, I know first hand the difficulties faced by students. There were plenty of Somali kids who had a whole hell of alot less than native kids, yet theyknew education was their way up and out.

Lowering the bar so they stay in school means nothing to the rest of the world in which our country competes. Time to keep up to the rest of the world and quit using excuses. A two tier educational system is expensive, useless and only placates the mentally weak.

Add a well established culture of victim-hood and entitlement and then your comparison is the same.

It all goes down to a culture unable to compete with an invasive, technically advanced and aggressive culture.

Aboriginal Americans will share the same fate of the Gauls in France (out competed by the Franks) the Britons (usurped by various Germanic and Norse tribes) the Carthaginians by Rome and numerous other nations that have been out-competed by more dominant cultures. Those that survive fight back, adapt and compete on a level footing.

Fight or die was the old way. Now it’s fight or fade into irrelevance.

Canada’s aboriginals either can’t or won’t compete with our culture. They will eventually disappear in a few hundred years. The noble experiments in trying to prolong their culture are destined to fail as most Aboriginals seem unable to progress from their own culture of blame and victimhood.

Millions of immigrants from much worse backgrounds than the average Rez are successfully taking their place.

Or you, as a parent, can get off your ass and take your children to a community outside of your freebie, shitty homes and make a better life for yourself. You chose to have children in these 3rd World conditions, it's your responsibility to take care of them.

If you want the best for your children, it's YOUR responsibility to make it happen. Not the people of Canada.

The problem is that those that do attend post-secondary will not return to a shit-hole where there is no opportunity to use the skills they learned. That makes many of the parents hostile towards educating their kids.
I also know some that have returned only to find they're treated like crap. "Your only so and so's kid, what makes you think you deserve a salary like that"? And went elsewhere while that job at home got filled by someone else due to the prevailing attitude that anyone from anywhere else must be better/smarter/more skilled/more deserving than someone who grew up there.

It is a shame that those who gave the most to build this country are living in these conditions, and it’s pathetic that we sit on our hands and give as little as possible to ensure their well being in the future of this country. We prance around the world pretending to be good and righteous, but we don't have the common decency to live up to our own obligations to these people and we’d rather pay to see them suffer than pay to help make them productive and healthy citizens in our own country.

And as for the Treaties we signed to account for our occupation of a huge chunk of this country, we promised their children an EDUCATION so that they could compete in the modern world with our kids. Now what have we done? Residential schools and an education where we spend far less on their kids than we do our own. How can you argue that we are in the right by stiffing each Native child’s education a few thousand dollars a year compared to our own?

And how do those kids make it in our world – you want them to move to the city and give their kids opportunity but we’ve given them no tools to succeed!

Top up the funding, give the next generation a shot – if it is the LEAST we can do at least we can keep one promise. Like someone just said about the Somali kids – they know education is the key, if that is true then why are we short changing our aboriginal youth??