STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot Chapter for distributionIVCONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONDuane ChampagneMillions of people are denied their right to education because of poverty,marginalization, poor and ill-funded services, geographic isolation and conflicts.Indigenous peoples are particularly affected and, throughout the world, theysuffer from lower levels of education than their non-indigenous counterparts.indigenous students havelower enrolment rates,higher dropout ratesand poorer educationaloutcomes than nonindigenouspeople in thesame countriesThe situation of indigenous peoples is typically characterized by a lack of accessto education in general, due to their geographic and politically marginalizedstatus. Too often, education systems and curricula do not respect indigenouspeoples’ diverse cultures. There are too few teachers who speak their languagesand their schools often lack basic materials. Educational materials that provideaccurate and fair information on indigenous peoples and their ways of life areparticularly rare. It is too common that “…educational programs fail to offerindigenous peoples the possibility of participating in decision-making, the designof curricula, the selection of teachers and teaching methods and the definitionof standards.” 1 The result is an education gap - indigenous students have lowerenrolment rates, higher dropout rates and poorer educational outcomes thannon-indigenous people in the same countries.Education as a fundamental rightEducation is recognized as both a human right in itself andan indispensable means of realizing other human rightsand fundamental freedoms, the primary vehicle by whicheconomically and socially marginalized peoples can liftthemselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participatefully in their communities. Education is increasingly recognizedas one of the best long-term financial investments that Statescan make. Education of indigenous children contributes toboth individual and community development, as well as toparticipation in society in its broadest sense. Education enablesindigenous children to exercise and enjoy economic, socialand cultural rights, and strengthens their ability to exercisecivil rights in order to influence political policy processes forimproved protection of human rights. The implementation ofindigenous peoples’ right to education is an essential meansof achieving individual empowerment and self-determination.Education is also an important means for the enjoyment,1King & Schielmann (2004), 19.130 | CHAPTER IV