BC AUDITOR GENERAL - The 2015 graduation rate for Indigenous students was 24% lower than non-Indigenous students ... that gap is now 16%

The Office of the BC Auditor General has released their progress audit , on the Ministry of Education’s changes, since the 2015 report on the education of Aboriginal students in the B.C. public school system.

In the original 2015 audit, there were gaps found between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in reading, writing and math assessments; in graduation rates; and in how safe they feel in school. These are strong indicators of a 

student’s future well-being.

The stakes are high for Indigenous students, their families and communities, and the province, because students who graduate from high school have improved life chances in areas such as employment and health.

In 2015, twelve recommendations were made to assist the ministry in closing the gaps. In this progress audit, it was found that the gaps have gotten smaller, but are still substantial.

In 2015, the graduation rate for Indigenous students was 24% lower than for non-Indigenous students. The gap is now at 16%. While there has been improvement, there is still more to do.

Today’s progress audit shows that the Ministry of Education has taken action to address many of the original recommendations. The Ministry has implemented a new curriculum to teach all BC students about Indigenous culture and history, and introduced a program, called Equity in Action, to guide districts through an intensive process to identify barriers to Indigenous student success. The ministry also hired a director of Indigenous analytics to improve how it uses data to focus on the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.

Still, the ministry has work to do in areas including developing an Indigenous Education strategy, ensuring important data around student success is collected, and reporting publicly on its progress.

Full implementation of recommendations from the Office of the BC Auditor General will require multiple parties to be part of the solution. These will include Indigenous communities ... government ... school districts ... teachers ... unions ... parents ... and students. During interviews for the progress audit, it was noted there had been increased government collaboration with Indigenous leaders and communities.

In the 2015 audit the word Aboriginal was used to encompass the three Indigenous groups (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) listed in the Canadian Constitution. Since then, both the federal and provincial governments have started using the word Indigenous. That is also the term now used by the Office of the Auditor General.

CLICK HERE to see both the full progress audit, and the original 2015 report.