STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

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EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributioninnate; they are learned, passed down from generation to generation invery specific ways. Generations of San children have had to learn the skillsand flexibility necessary to survive in their particular circumstances. Sanchildren have also had to learn the appropriate behaviours to be acceptedwithin their community. We can thus understand San communities aseducating their children.Source: Hays, Jennifer (2004), 243.On the contrary, national school curricula tend to have very little (if any) focuson indigenous peoples, their issues and histories. Some national curriculaeven reinforce negative stereotypes, portraying indigenous peoples asunderdeveloped, childlike or uncivilized, in contrast to the population of themodern, developed, mature nation-state. 25Formal schools teach specific, defined curricula such as national history, culture,etc., which serve the purpose not only of providing information to students,but also of socializing them, teaching them how to be citizens and ultimatelyincorporating them into the national society. By learning topics such as history,sociology, geography and even biology or chemistry, school children areintroduced to a national discourse that emphasizes specific identities, historiesand a sense of place in the world.schools with predominantlyindigenous students aremore likely to cancel classes,hire less-qualified teachers,and be understaffedBy excluding indigenous issues from school curricula, many formal educationsystems ignore indigenous peoples, their cultures and practices. But whenindigenous school children are introduced only to the national discourse atthe expense of their native discourse, they are in danger of losing part of theiridentity, their connection with their parents and predecessors and, ultimately, ofbeing caught in a no man’s land whereby they lose an important aspect of theiridentity while not fully becoming a part of the dominant national society. Thismakes indigenous school children less inclined to pursue their studies. Indeed,indigenous communities often resist state-provided education that does notshow respect for their traditional knowledge, values and livelihoods. 26Difficulties encountered while delivering formal education to indigenouscommunities include lack of respect for indigenous languages and culture,interference in internal community affairs, inadequately trained teachers andthe irrelevance of teaching curricula. 27 Education services in indigenous areasare, furthermore, usually under-funded, of low quality and poorly equipped. Poorand indigenous children therefore often attend the worst schools, are servedby the least educated teachers, and have too few and often outdated textbooks25Stavenhagen (2005b), 4-7; Larsen (2003), vii and 14-15.26Larsen (2003), 17-18.27Kroijer (2005), 17.CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | 139
EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionand other teaching materials. 28 In the United States, for example, accordingto the 2001 Bureau of Indian Affairs budget report, many schools on NativeAmerican reservations were structurally unsound and/or of insufficient size toaccommodate the student population. 29Schools with predominantly indigenous students are more likely to cancelclasses, hire less-qualified teachers, and be understaffed. The lack of qualifiedteachers is often due to the low priority given to their training and to inadequatesalaries. They are also not sufficiently supported and sometimes abandon theirposts. There is relatively little parent, community or school board involvement,and underfunding and poor facilities inhibit the development of strong schoolprogrammes for indigenous children. 30indigenous girls, inparticular, experiencedifficult problems relatedto unfriendly schoolenvironmentsIndigenous children, moreover, are more likely to arrive at school hungry, illand tired; 31 they are often bullied, and the use of corporal punishment is stillwidespread. Ethnic and cultural discrimination at schools are major obstaclesto equal access to education, causing poor performance and higher dropoutrates. Indigenous girls in particular, experience difficult problems related tounfriendly school environments, gender discrimination, school-based violenceand sometimes sexual abuse, all of which contribute to high dropout rates.Participation in formal schooling can also be more difficult for indigenous studentswho participate in subsistence hunting and gathering economies and upholdegalitarian ethics and preferences for non-hierarchical social organization. Ina community that values equality and non-competitive approaches to learning,those who succeed in a system based upon hierarchy and competition have,at some point, had to contradict the cultural values of their upbringing. 32 Somenomadic indigenous communities see formal education as weakening traditionalknowledge, threatening economic livelihoods and disrupting the institutionalfoundations of identity. 33The remoteness of many indigenous communities is one of the main reasonsfor the gap in schooling between indigenous and non-indigenous people. Manyremote schools lack qualified teachers, and especially indigenous teacherswho speak indigenous languages and can serve as role models for the youngergenerations. In some cases, only primary education is available locally, afterwhich children must leave their communities for boarding schools, which areoften run by missionaries. 34Boarding schools are costly for families for multiple reasons. Indigenouschildren in boarding schools often suffer from discrimination, misunderstanding28ILO/PRO169/IPEC (2006), 22.29UNICEF (2003).30Pavel et al. (1997), 41-48; St. Germaine (1995); US General Accounting Office (1997), 2.31ILO/PRO 169/IPEC (2006), 22; Hicks (2005).32Hays (2004), 242.33Kaunga (2005), 37-41; Hays and Siegruhn (2005), 27.34UNICEF (2003).140 | CHAPTER IV
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