Teegee Renews Call for Aboriginal Board of Education
Prince George, B.C. – Tribal Chief Terry Teegee with the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council is losing his patience with the Prince George School Board.
Teegee attended his third public board meeting in the past six months this week expressing his disappointment that the Board hasn’t expressed a willingness to re-establish an Aboriginal Board of Education.
The last board was disbanded due to poor attendance in October 2014 (see previous story here).
Instead, the Board approved 60 days of consultation so that reference groups can review revisions to its Aboriginal Committee. For Teegee that’s not good enough.
“Well from what I saw in the earlier drafts it’s not very inclusive, it’s more exclusive in terms of involvement. Perhaps there’s consultation but no involvement from us,” he said.
“I’m not sure who chooses the people who are on the committee and that’s another concern of mine.”
Teegee said its symptomatic of what he’s seen in school districts around the province and doesn’t jive with the spirit of truth and reconciliation seen on the federal scene the past year.
In fact, he’s so unimpressed with the school board that his organization has hired legal counsel.
“We’re leaving every door open including legal action but before it comes to that we want to exhaust every avenue.”
The threat left Prince George School Board Chair Tony Cable scratching his head.
“Basically we have an organization (the Aboriginal Committee) that’s meeting regularly discussing aboriginal education and it’s got input from all the aboriginal groups,” he said.
“So people can come to board meetings and express their concerns and they can tell us they have lawyers but basically you need a lawyer if someone’s broken some policy or not being fair to people which we haven’t. We’re following all provincial, federal, and local rules and regulations.”
He’s also disappointed because he feels the district’s Aboriginal Department has been doing a fine job of representing the more than 3,000 Aboriginal students in the district.
“I hope no one is getting the impression that some wonderful work isn’t being done in that area. We have an excellent aboriginal department and the department is doing an excellent job,” said Cable.
“The graduation rates for aboriginal students is steadily going up (from around 45% to about 61% the past few years) and it’s a real success story.”
But Teegee said he won’t be satisfied until 100% of Aboriginal students graduate.
“We’re shooting for 100%. Historically everybody had a role in our communities. Nobody was left behind before we were colonized.”
Comments
This sounds like discrimination , what would happen if Caucasians demanded 100% white graduate and Indians were not allowed . We should all look at the bigger picture Canadians first then whatever heritage you may have.
You must have misread. White kids can still graduate. What he is saying is that 39% of aboriginal kids still drop out of high school, and he would like to reduce that number to 0. How is that discrimination?
How is this discrimination? Because no white’s are allowed to sit on the board? You try going to a car lot, and demanding a white salesperson, see how that works out.
It starts at home, and it doesn’t matter if you are native, or white, or chinese. If you aren’t driven to success, or have role models, you are going to be hard pressed to succeed. Success is environmental, and it is an expectation that is placed on you by many people. Natives generally do not have this support network, they lack the community support from within.
There are a few native business’s in town that do well, they should be placed on a pedestal and shown off to the people in that community. You never hear anything about them, the people and the hard work they did to get there.
Absolutely agree with you!
When are we as a society going to say enough. Natives need to start being responsible for themselves. All of the problems are put at the government’s feet. Be responsible for your direct family by raising them right with work ethic, morals, drive, determination and a sense of wanting to better yourself. We have all had bad events in our lives but this should not define you. Waiting for someone to solve your issues will get you in this mess we are in now. Spend some of the money and time that is now going to lawyers and grandstanding and help someone in your community.
Teegee says “I’m not sure who chooses the people who are on the committee and that’s another concern of mine.”
Just another example of someone who can’t put the effort in to get the facts but shows up to piss and moan about all the work people do. he always has ‘concerns’ but seldom if ever any solutions, it’s time his people take their chief to task on “what are you actually doing for us’
just my opinion of his abilities as a supposed leader, feel free to agree or not
Teegee says “I’m not sure who chooses the people who are on the committee and that’s another concern of mine.”
If that was my problem I would simply ask: “Who chooses the people who are on the committee and how are they chosen, according to which rules?”
Nobody was left behind before we were colonized? Read up on the Chinlac Massacre. Everything was not rainbows and sunshine pre colonization and the story that it was is getting old. However I think in today’s society/culture we need to be inclusive of every child receiving a proper education that actually prepares the youth for the real world in order to enrich our society. No longer should we just push a youth through school no matter what their background. It’s not helping them in preparing for adulthood.
What exactly does a massacre by Chilcotins of a Carrier village have to do with “children being left behind”?
Children being left behind seems to mean that every child, no matter what there abilities, became part of the community. A place was found for all.
In our society we have a goal called grade 12 graduation. Not everyone graduates, no matter what their ethnic background.
If our society puts a black mark on people that means they have little chance to succeed in the world, especially the world of work and supporting oneself, perhaps we should all take a closer look of why that is. Whose responsibility is it to find a societal functional purpose for everyone within our society?
Since the education system forms an integral part of that goal in today’s world, they need to improve their ability to function at 100%, not 98, not 90, not 75, not 50 ……
To me understanding that simple notion should be very easy. If we do not understand that, then society at large is failing.
Did you read my post? The part about “being incluse of every child?” That was a big part of the post…might want to re read it as I’m unsure of your misinterpretation. As for mentioning the massacre…Teegee felt the need to comment on pre colonization and no one was left behind. I guess that true if you do not include the wars, massicure, and hereditary chief’s close family whom was taken care of and as the are in today’s society. There is a systemic issue within the first nations community where there are those who have and those who don’t. Further I have heard this issue blamed on colonization. My comment/opinion was a response to the topics mentioned in the article.
I went to several school district sites as well as the BC Ministry site.
What I did not find is the actual enhancement agreement for SD57 and any annual reports on the progress of First Nations students in the SD region.
sd57.bc.ca/school/abed/Lists/Publications/Enhancement%20Agreement%20Brochure.pdf#search=education%20enhancement%20agreement
One of the questions SD57 needs to respond to is why are they having problems with collaborating with the First Nations in the region.
In addition to that I would like to know how other school districts are doing. How many are working well together and how many are not. What is the formula for success?
The questions posed by most on here so far are the wrong one. Educate yourselves a bit about what the provincial mandate is.
If it is not working across the province, then perhaps there ought to be a new province-wide school district created similar to the one which exists for the French speaking population in BC.
And he is shooting for 100% graduation. Good luck with that.
Cheers
There are 90 School Districts in BC
80 of them have framework agreements. The following do not.
20 Kootenay-Columbia
28 Quesnel
46 Sunshine Coast
57 PrinceGeorge
70 Alberni
79 CowichanValey
81 Fort Nelson
82 Coast Mountain
91 Nechako Lakes
92 Nisga’a
What do they have in common which prevents them from having an agreement?
Perhaps the province needs to step in if there is a deadlock.
TeeGee and other Cheifs you are by far destroying your own people because the amount of funding the Governemt is giving to you to support your bands and funding for education which clearly has not made a difference in anything for your people but yet you are still remain ungrateful. In order for First Nation to succeed or even having a chance at a better life they need to not be segregated from society which you have done and all other Cheifs that has reserves and the people in them and also they need to be told that everyone is considered equal. You are training your people that they do not have to do anything to get further in life except to threat and then get anything you want and not work for it. That is not how society works.
Now I blame the Governemt for not stepping up and put a stop to all of this and stopping all First Nation funding of education and stop funding for all bands and doing research before and give you guys a choice and that is funding for education and programs to the highest extent for everyone white , black, First Nation doesn’t matter who you are or other option
No money at all for any First Nations at all for Chiefs and there bands cause really it’s not like you are trying to help your own people.
That is my opinion.
I did not read one single comment on this discussion thread before posting my comment, after all, why should I have to read the redneck opinions of the misinformed?
In Kamloops, “Nearly half of Aboriginal men (48%) and more than half of Aboriginal women (61%) aged 25 to 64 had completed postsecondary education compared to 58% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Postsecondary education includes a trades certificate, a college diploma or a university certificate, diploma or degree.” ~ Statistics Canada, 2006
Yes, obviously they are far more educated than the average redneck posting to this 250news discussion thread.
ht tp://tinyurl.com/hnctpqn
So you are pre judging people before you read what they have to say. Pre judge is the root of the word prejudice. Peeps once again showing the height of hyprocrisy. Casting the rest of the city as rednecks while claiming to be a voice of reason. What a joke.
What a load of crap! Everyone knows the three lost important factors for creating a successful business is; location, location, location.
Where is the Kamloops Indian Band located? Where is the Osoyoos Indian Band located? One of the richest First Nations up here is the Nak’azdki Band, where is it located? The answer is on prime real estate right beside cities and towns. A business has to have access to a market.
Unfortunately, most First Nation, including the Lheidli Tenn’eh have been place on reserves in places out of our way. For example, does anyone seriously think Takla Lake First Nation, located about 100 miles north west of Ft. St. James, at the end of a gravel road, has a shot at being an economic power house?
Please join the rest of us in a place called reality! Oh, but that’s right, your ideological thoughts “trump” reality!
Why did the people stop going..? did they just not care.. got bored.. was the board doing anything?
Before making so much noise Tribal Chief Terry Teegee do some research.. all you are doing right now is whinning…
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