TORONTO, June 20, 2013 /CNW/ - Slightly more than 60% of Aboriginal
Canadians do not have the literacy skills necessary to create a better
life for themselves and their families, or to fully participate in our
national economy. The heart of this issue begins before they even enter
school, with First Nations children scoring poor on school-readiness
testing versus their peers. In support of National Aboriginal Day, June
21, 2013, TD Economics has released an in-depth report examining the
issues and opportunities associated with low-literacy levels among
Canada's Aboriginal peoples.
"Four out of ten Aboriginal children score poorly in early development
testing in the areas of language and communication skills. One factor
contributing to this is that less than half of First Nation children in
Canada read a book every day," said Sonya Gulati, senior economist, TD
Bank Group and the report's author. "If greater attention and efforts
are not placed on the literacy and consequently education levels of the
young Aboriginal population, a multi-generational cycle is sure to
persist. This not only impedes future employment opportunities, but
also negatively impacts social mobility, health prevention in the
proper use of medications, and overall nutrition."
The median age of all individuals who identify as Aboriginal, as
reported in the 2011 Census, was 28 years old in 2011, much lower than
the 41-year old statistic posted by non-Aboriginals. This makes it
among the youngest and fastest growing population segment of the
Canadian population.
"Literacy proficiency, education levels and socio-economic success are
intrinsically linked. The fact that less than half of First Nations
youth graduate from high school compared to 80% of their non-Aboriginal
peers is extremely concerning," added Ms. Gulati. "The employment rate
almost doubles for an Aboriginal person who has a high school
certificate on their resume, and yet the literacy level of many
Aboriginal adults makes them more suited to occupations/jobs which
demand less literacy proficiency. This skill disadvantage often
translates into lower employment and wages for Aboriginal peoples in
comparison with their non-Aboriginal peers."
Some literacy improvement among Aboriginal peoples is expected to have
occurred over the last decade. Many new Aboriginal-targeted literacy
programs have been rolled out over the past several years. However,
international human development indices do not point to a big
improvement in education and social trends in Canada, relative to other
countries.
To utilize strengths in place in Canada and comparable nations,
including Australia and New Zealand, TD Economics has developed a list
of literacy-related programs and services to promote stronger literacy
skills among Aboriginal people. The following is a summary of these
best practices.
-
Engage parents to dispel the stigma associated with education and
improve literacy. Research suggest that parents who participate in literacy programs with
their children experience an increase in their literacy levels, a
positive change in their distrust of education, an improvement in their
understanding of parenting options and greater employment status.
-
Make Aboriginal students feel valued and welcomed to improve educational
outcomes. Be more inclusive of Aboriginal culture, possess Aboriginal books,
create partnerships with communities, and acknowledge the Aboriginal
territory in which the school is operating.
-
Incorporate Aboriginal approaches to learning into curriculum and
teaching methods to increase literacy levels. Recognize that Aboriginal peoples learn in different ways and be open
to incorporating different learning methods, such as co-operative
learning, or the processes of observation, imitation, and trial and
error.
-
Increasing access and targeted funding for literacy programs and
supports for those Aboriginal peoples in rural and remote areas. To overcome challenges of living in remote areas, increase the
availability of computer-based programming and in some cases, focus
funding directly to Aboriginal communities to carry out their own
literacy initiatives.
-
Deliver teacher support and training to ensure that literacy programs
are both sustainable and of high quality. On-reserve teachers must be allocated proper ongoing support, training
and resources for literacy-related topics.
"The time to act is now," said Ms. Gulati. "If the best practices
identified in our report are systematically put into action, the future
will look brighter for Aboriginal peoples. There are countless examples
of such initiatives being delivered across the country today to young
and adult Aboriginal peoples alike. These concerted efforts, exerted
over a period of time, should help reduce the size of the literacy
gap."
An executive summary and full text report can be found at www.td.com/economics "Literacy Matters: Unlocking the Literacy Potential of Aboriginal Peoples
in Canada."
SOURCE: TD Bank Group
