There
are about 5,000 Indigenous groups composed
of 300 million people living in more
than 70 countries on five continents.
Their way of life, livelihood, religion
and culture are inextricably intertwined
with and dependent on the traditional
environment in which they live.
In
most countries, indigenous people are
not members of the dominant, majority
groups. Although they may consider themselves
"nations", they have no status
as States and often have no voice through
their governments. In fact Indigenous
People have not before been allowed
to represent their own interests directly
to any major body of the United Nations
In many parts of the world today, Indigenous
Peoples are engaged in a complex fight
to find a balance between their cultural
identity and customs and burgeoning
pressure to assimilate into the world
order, ruled by free-market mechanisms.
However,
this fragile balance cannot be attained
without quality Indigenous education.
Thus, on the World Day for Cultural
Diversity, 21 May, and in the UN Decade
on Indigenous People launched in January
this year, Global March partner Education
International will renew its commitment
to mainstream Indigenous education issues
in the trade union agenda. EI will be
represented at the Fouth Session of
the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous
Issues (16-27 May, New York), where
it will highlight the urgent need for
Indigenous peoples to be guaranteed
access to quality education.
Educators
and EI member organisations have a special
responsibility to support Indigenous
Peoples in their efforts to ensure the
educational success of their children
and the survival of their knowledge,
languages, and cultures.
Critical
issues facing the Indigenous Peoples
education are:
-
Improved retention and achievement
rates for Indigenous students.
-
Culturally inappropriate testing and
labeling of Indigenous students as
“special needs” or “deficit/disorder”
students.
-
Racial
and economic segregation in schools
and society.
-
Lack
of recognition and respect for Indigenous
ways of knowing and world view.
-
Discrimination against Indigenous
in public spending on basic social
services.
-
Lack
of resources, and appropriate curriculum
to support Indigenous education programmes.
-
Need
for greater involvement of Indigenous
Peoples in curriculum and programme
development.
-
Mother-tongue literacy and learning
in indigenous languages.
-
Inadequate support for Indigenous
teachers and barriers in teacher certification
process for Indigenous People.
-
Need
for Indigenous cultural awareness
training for all teachers as part
of the certification process and of
in-service training.
-
Insufficient effort to teach non-indigenous
communities about indigenous cultures
as a means to combating the prejudices
and fostering social cohesion and
peace.
Indigenous
peoples need strong national and international
commitments to intercultural and bilingual
education, and effective state and public
services with enough resources to implement
them. They also need to have the right
of representatives of Indigenous people
to participate in the design of relevant
educational initiatives with teachers
unions and others, to be recognised.
The education of Indigenous children
is a challenge for All.
