NAN rejects national education review

Nishnawbe Aski Nation has rejected the proposed national education review process established by the federal government and the Assembly of First Nations.
NAN said there is no need for the National Panel on First Nation Elementary and Secondary Education in an Aug. 11 press release. Many issues impacting First Nation education have been set out in many reports completed in the past, including the Auditor General’s reports in recent years and the NAN education strategic plan.
“The National Panel will recommend legislation to govern First Nation education,” said Deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose. “This has the potential to arbitrarily define and diminish our treaty right to education. It amounts to a backdoor revision of the Indian Act and holds little prospect of actually improving the quality of education our children deserve.”
Former chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council George Lafond, David Hughes and Caroline Krause were announced March 18 as the National Panel members.
“Elementary and secondary education is the foundation for a better future,” said Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister John Duncan in a March 18 press release. “We must work together to address the challenges facing First Nation students to ensure they have access to quality education so they can succeed. This engagement process is key to the reform of First Nation education.”
NAN is planning to conduct their own review, working in conjunction with other First Nations in Ontario as well as with those in Saskatchewan and Quebec.  Together, they will submit their views directly to the federal government and the AFN.
“We are perfectly capable of speaking for ourselves and don’t require a National Panel with a limited mandate and minimal First Nation representation to do it for us,” Waboose said.
NAN is concerned the National Panel has no mandate to review pre-school education, post-secondary or vocational education or to address the current and significant funding gap that exists between funding provided to provincial schools and that provided by Canada to First Nation schools.
“The federal government talks about restraint,” said Muskrat Dam First Nation Chief Gordon Beardy. “But why is that burden being placed on the shoulders of our children and their education. Funding for First Nation education is an investment for Canada not a cost. But unfortunately, real investment in the future of our children is clearly not on National Panel’s agenda.”
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, representing 74 First Nations in the province, has also rejected the panel.
The National Panel issued a statement Aug. 12 saying it would respect the First Nations that have chosen to run their own parallel processes and provide a separate report to the national chief. They also said they value the input from those First Nations and will take their feedback into account when they build their report and recommendations. 
The National Panel is planning to hold eight regional engagement activities and one national roundtable from September to November.