In Canada, Indigenous peoples are divided into three groups: Inuit, Métis, and First Nations. The Inuit are primarily found in Canada’s far north. Their territory, identified as Inuit Nunangat, encompasses a large portion of the Arctic region’s land, ocean, and snow. Métis peoples are individuals of combined Indigenous and European heritage who dwell predominantly in the Prairie provinces, Ontario, and other regions of Canada. First Nations peoples were the aboriginal occupants of what is now Canada, frequently inhabiting regions south of the Arctic Circle. According to Nelson and Wilson (2017), “in Canada, despite an abundance of health research documenting inequalities in morbidity and mortality rates for Indigenous peoples, relatively little research has focused on mental health” (p. 93). This paper was written to explore the lives of Canadian Indigenous people in terms of education and scholarships.
Educational achievement is a contentious term, particularly when it comes to Indigenous kids. Decolonization education includes understanding how colonialism has influenced education and trying to disrupt colonial institutions, processes, and processes in educational settings (Pratt et al., 2018). Conflicts in student success discourses describe the characteristics of educational organizations’ strategic planning and their dependence on statistical information that has prioritized limited, integrationist criteria of Western or Eurocentric education, pedagogy, and views. According to Radford et al. (2021), “educational concerns in Indigenous people are often more significant than those in non-Indigenous populations, including increased rates of chronic diseases and mental health concerns” (p. 1). Examinations of statistical research demonstrating considerably lower academic chances of success among Indigenous adolescents than their non-Aboriginal counterparts have long dominated urban Aboriginal post-secondary academic achievement assessments.
These statistical comparisons have resulted in research inquiries and policy analyses that have entrenched a deficit discourse or worldview in relation to Aboriginal peoples. According to Wotherspoon and Milne (2020), “the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has challenged governments and school boards across Canada to acknowledge and address the damaging legacies of residential schooling while ensuring that all students gain an adequate understanding of relations between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous peoples” (p. 1). These apparent inadequacies and dependence are based on inequalities discovered when Aboriginal kids progress through traditional educational institutions. These inadequacies have rerouted attention away from the institutional problems confronting Aboriginal students, employees, and teaching staff navigating a structure that has advantaged Western knowledge as the secured creditor of methodical, logical discourse and the origin of advancement while actively, with the exception of Indigenous knowledge, save in a few cases and only in a minimal way.
Many measures of social justice, such as employment and income, have improved for Indigenous peoples residing in industrialized industrial countries in recent decades, but the achievement gap has widened. Educational achievements are a crucial indicator at the population level that frequently reflects future social equity. In Canada, for instance, the proportion of Aboriginal college and university graduates has gradually grown over the last two decades, while the proportion of Aboriginal trades graduates has decreased and the proportion of Aboriginal individuals without a high school diploma has grown. Many Aboriginal people’s bad experiences in the residential school system have impacted historical transmission and a strong skepticism of social and educational institutes.
The different approaches to creating and implementing higher education initiatives for Aboriginal communities have primarily aimed at providing safe based on culture environments and sustains, accepting perception styles of learning or intellectual priorities, and instilling instructor- or instructor critical and decolonial pedagogies, primarily in advanced settler societies. According to Garneau et al. (2021), “empirical studies revealed epistemological tensions, conceptual unclarity, and a problematic negotiation of space for Indigenous and critical content in the curriculum” (p. 1). Recent research has looked into a wide range of potential factors influencing Aboriginal student performance. Social issues, such as current forms of bias, institutional factors, such as the inefficacy of cultural competency instruction, and complicated psychosocial settings are examples of these.
Social and geographical alienation, as well as the degree of acculturation into mainstream cultures, all have an impact on Indigenous student performance; for instance, Aboriginal college students indicate higher levels of positive involvement in their studies than typical students. They are willing to deviate from their academics, showing significant psychosocial difficulties. The study shows that academic achievement for Indigenous people is a complicated issue that necessitates multidimensional, inclusive, culturally relevant, and engaging learning and teaching techniques offered by teachers and student support personnel.
Improving educational results for Indigenous students is a critical goal for Canada’s colleges and universities, administrations, and Aboriginal groups. According to Hu et al. (2019), “métis peoples show worse employment outcomes and negative earnings differentials in the upper part of the distribution” (p. 48). The regional government of British Columbia, which has the second-highest Indigenous population of any province or territory in Canada, has invested in public ownership post-secondary schools, including an Aboriginal university. Among these expenditures include the establishment of Aboriginal gathering spaces, as well as the delivery of specific student services and support programs. Numerous governmental post-secondary schools in British Columbia, for instance, now have an Indigenous education administrator who answers to senior executives, and many of these universities have also accomplished the goal of having Aboriginal people in leadership positions and administration.
Aboriginal students require competent and knowledgeable supporters in their classes and throughout the education sector. When Aboriginal kids encounter hurdles to inclusion, they need these advocates and supporters to stand alongside them. Where racism exists, post-secondary institutions must confront it in order to prevent students in the classroom from feeling isolated and marginalized. Unfortunately, students reported prejudice, alienation, and discrimination in the greater society outside of their post-secondary setting. When individuals feel uncomfortable in post-secondary settings, universities must take the initiative and make efforts to resolve the problem so that students view themselves as a valued and welcomed component of the post-secondary culture. According to Stewart et al. (2017), “mental health is a vital aspect of overall health for Canadian Indigenous peoples” (p. 103). The urgency of our continued collaborative effort in this respect will be confirmation that rehabilitation and peace are organic and that knowledge is a component of that therapeutic connection.
A scholarship is a financial incentive that is non-repayable and is based on academic excellence as well as non-academic factors such as voluntary work and management. A college education is government help that is intended to assist students in paying for university fees, textbooks, and living costs. This government compensation is provided to post-secondary learning and achieving financial needs in the form of loans and grants. Loans are kinds of repaid help. Loans are kinds of non-repayable aid.
The Foundation’s activities in this area are based on the notion that we want to promote economic growth by investment in entrepreneurial and proper learning, as well as capacity building for entrepreneurship programs in Indigenous communities. The Foundation has decades of experience with initiatives that aim to make this concept a reality. The Foundation has also given capacity-building funds to Indigenous communities to help with the creation of business and entrepreneurship courses. American Indigenous Business Leaders (AIBL), Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity through Entrepreneurship (CAPE) Fund, Lakota Funds, and the Native CDFI organization are among others who have received grants. It is expected that they would supplement our educational efforts by improving the circumstances and possibilities for entrepreneurship and company owners.
To summarize, educational accomplishment is a controversial concept, especially when it comes to Indigenous children. Conflicts in student achievement discourses reflect educational institutions’ strategy development features and their reliance on statistical data that has prioritized restricted, integrationist standards of Western or Eurocentric learning, pedagogy, and perspectives. Examining statistical evidence that Aboriginal adolescents have much worse academic odds of success than their non-Aboriginal peers has long occupied urban Aboriginal post-secondary academic ability evaluations.
Indigenous student performance is influenced by social and geographical isolation, as well as the degree of acculturation into mainstream cultures; for example, Aboriginal college students show higher levels of positive interest in their academics than average students. They are willing to depart from their academics while experiencing substantial psychosocial issues. According to the study, academic performance for Indigenous people is a complex issue that requires multifaceted, inclusive, culturally appropriate, and engaging learning and teaching approaches provided by instructors and student support workers.
Many indicators of social justice, such as jobs and wages, have increased for Aboriginal communities living in developed nations in recent decades, but the achievement gap has increased. Educational attainment is a critical demographic metric that typically indicates future social justice. For example, in Canada, the number of Aboriginal college and university graduates has progressively increased over the previous couple of decades. The proportion of Indigenous trades students has declined, and the proportion of Aboriginal people without a high school certificate has increased. The negative experiences of many Aboriginal people in the residential school system have influenced historical transmission and a deep mistrust of social and educational institutions.
A scholarship is a non-repayable cash reward based on academic performance as well as non-academic qualities such as volunteer work and management. University education is government assistance designed to help students pay for university tuition, textbooks, and living expenses. This government compensation is offered in the form of loans and grants to post-secondary study and meeting financial requirements. Loans are a type of financial assistance; loans are a type of non-repayable assistance.
The problem of the education of the indigenous population is not new because, for many years, the people who are the historical owners of Canadian land have been in the shadow of newcomers. Thus, we can highlight the central issue of this topic. When will there be complete equality between indigenous and non-indigenous people in Canada? This will lead to the fact that the country can live better because its inhabitants will receive even more money, people will receive a high-quality education, and the level of poverty will disappear, or such a class will disappear. The issue of inequality of peoples will be relevant until people understand that there is no difference between them and that they are all Canadians. After that, the level of education in Canada will improve, and it may even be necessary to remove scholarships for indigenous peoples because everyone is equal and create a single scholarship system.
Garneau, A. B., Bélisle, M., Lavoie, P., & Sédillot, C. L. (2021). Integrating equity and social justice for indigenous peoples in undergraduate health professions education in Canada: A framework from a critical review of the literature. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20(1), 1-9.
Hu, M., Daley, A., & Warman, C. (2019). Literacy, numeracy, technology skill, and labor market outcomes among Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Canadian Public Policy, 45(1), 48-73.
Nelson, S. E., & Wilson, K. (2017). The mental health of Indigenous peoples in Canada: A critical review of research. Social Science & Medicine, 176, 93-112.
Pratt, Y. P., Louie, D. W., Hanson, A. J., & Ottmann, J. (2018). Indigenous education and decolonization. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
Radford, A., Toombs, E., Zugic, K., Boles, K., Lund, J., & Mushquash, C. J. (2021). Examining adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) within indigenous populations: A systematic review. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 1-21.
Stewart, S., Moodley, R., & Hyatt, A. (Eds.). (2017). Counselling indigenous peoples in canada. In Indigenous cultures and mental health counselling (1st ed., 103-119). Routledge.
Wotherspoon, T., & Milne, E. (2020). What do Indigenous education policy frameworks reveal about commitments to reconciliation in Canadian school systems?. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 11(1), 1-29.