Donna Scott, Chief Commissioner/Director of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, told participants at the annual education equity seminar in November that it is time to consider broadening the scope of education equity programs so that they are more comprehensive. Currently, education equity programs are designed to assist Aboriginal students.

In the future, Scott said, the Commission would like to see "education equity principles applied to addressing the needs of female students, visible minority students and students with disabilities, as well as Aboriginal students."

Scott noted this was a goal that, unfortunately, could not be achieved by the Human Rights Commission on its own. "There is a broader community responsibility to ensure that the goals of education equity are achieved in a more comprehensive way."

For that reason, Scott said, the Commission has recommended that The Education Act be amended to give the Department of Education responsibility for developing, implementing and monitoring education equity in the kindergarten to Grade 12 school system and that similar changes be made to legislation governing the University of Saskatchewan and other post-secondary institutions. "The legislated obligation would require educators to ensure equality of educational benefit for all students."

These recommendations were contained in the Commission's Code review report, a document containing 152 recommendations for change that were presented to the Minister of Justice in July 1996 after a three-year review of human rights in Saskatchewan. If the recommendations on education equity are acted on, it would dramatically change the Commission's role in this area. The Commission would move to a supporting role in the process it initiated, developed and has monitored over a 10-year period.

Education Equity was designed to reduce the number of Aboriginal students who drop out of school before they have completed Grade 12. The plans are comprehensive, emphasizing hiring Aboriginal teachers; reviewing school policies and procedures; providing cross-cultural training;

changes in curriculum to include Aboriginal content; and increased involvement by Aboriginal parents.

Where we are now

Commission staff brought participants at the seminar up to date on the progress of education equity in the 19 school divisions that have plans. They reported that the number of Aboriginal teachers in schools with equity plans has gone from 4.2 percent in 1989 to 6.3 percent in 1996. In actual figures, the number of Aboriginal teachers has increased from 170 to 259.

The number of Aboriginal students in the school divisions that have plans has increased dramatically, up 25.3 percent, while the increase in the student body as a whole was only 2.6 percent. Divisions with plans have Aboriginal student populations that range from 9.1 percent to 85 percent.

The seminar was sponsored by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, in co-operation with Saskatchewan Education, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation, the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents, and the Saskatchewan School Trustees Association.

At the seminar there was consensus that it is important for Aboriginal students to have role models in all jobs in the schools, not just in teaching positions. Accordingly, the Commissioners expanded the terms and conditions of education equity programs to include the hiring of Aboriginal people into all positions in the school division. Now preference can be given to qualified Aboriginal applicants who are applying for non-teaching jobs as well as for teaching jobs.