Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom

Introduction
The past decade has witnessed several significant
developments affecting Aboriginal Education in BC.
Most visible, perhaps, has been the acknowledgment
on the part of both the Province of British Columbia and
government of Canada of the mistreatment and disrespect
that Aboriginal peoples have endured throughout much of our
nation’s history. This has resulted in a new attentiveness on the
part of government to long-standing demands from Aboriginal
leaders for a fresh approach to the provision of formal education
at all levels. Consultation and negotiation have occurred, First
Nations leaders have come together to give the First Nations
Education Steering Committee (FNESC) a strong mandate to
advocate for quality First Nations education in BC (both onreserve
and off-reserve), and several important agreements have
been reached that recognize the importance of education in
improving the lives of Aboriginal people in the province:
••
the New Relationship Agreement (2005)
www.ubcic.bc.ca/issues/newrelationship/#axzz3d9xOne6N
••
the Transformative Change Accord (2005) www2.gov.bc.ca/
gov/topic.page?id=7F6620F4C9004B9B845C5A105388A779
••
the Tripartite Education Agreement (2012)
www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1327671439967/1327674065864
Aboriginal Worldviews and Perspectives in the Classroom: Moving Forward
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