Page 25 - Ontario First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework

Appendix A
Background Information on Aboriginal Education in Ontario
Aboriginal and treaty rights of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada are recognized and affirmed in the Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982 (section 35). Section 35(2) indicates that Aboriginal peoples of Canada include Indian, Inuit, and Métis people. Section 91(24) gives the Parliament of Canada exclusive jurisdiction over the creation of laws relating to “Indians and lands reserved for the Indians”, and section 93 gives provincial legislatures exclusive jurisdiction over the creation of laws related to education.
There are five cohorts of Aboriginal students in Ontario, as follows:
1.
First Nation students
who live in First Nation communities and attend federally funded elementary or secondary schools in First Nation communities.
• The estimated number of students is 20,100.4
• Elementary and secondary education of these students is the responsibility of the local First
Nation Education Authority, the band council,
or the federal government.
• Funding for the education of these students is
provided by the federal government.
• Secondary schools in First Nation communities
register with the Ministry of Education as private schools in order to offer credit courses leading to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma. In 2005, there were 34 First Nation secondary schools.
• The Ministry of Education provides professional development opportunities for teachers and principals in First Nation schools on a fee- for-service basis.
4. 2001 Census of Canada.
• Appendix A
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