’Generations lost’ due to low funding for Indigenous schools
According to CBC News: Manitoba, “generations” are being lost due to the underfunded Indigenous schools. There are “persistent” shortages “faced by” First Nations students, which the article says requires school divisions to demand a federal government fix for the underfunding.
Sherri Rollins, Winnipeg School Division Chair, sees this as an unfortunate possibility for students because of “chronic underfunding” on reserves. Rollins estimates underfunding of $4,000 to $6,000 per student on reserves.
“We have many reserves in Manitoba that don’t have high schools. People are unable to complete their education that we’ve agreed for decades and decades and decades in this country that that’s the bar, a high school education,” she said.
Statistics Canada to examine the number of part-time, and contract professors
Statistics Canada will be tallying the number of part-time, contract professors in Canada. According to The Globe and Mail, Kirsty Duncan, the Minister of Science in the Government of Canada, announced plans for this as being “essential” information to gather for the Statistics Canada database.
She notes that this will assist in the development of more diverse and inclusive universities. There have been statements from faculty unions across North America who have noted the decrease in the number of tenure-track positions for academics.
This is especially true for young academics. This might harm a generation of young researchers. Michael Martin, Chief of the Education Finance and Indicators Division of Statistics Canada, said, “There has been an evolution in the system, to part-time or not regular faculty-type members teaching.”
Infrastructure investment into The University of British Columbia
And from Market Wired, we find there has been a $51.5 million investment into The University of British Columbia, which is part of an total investment of about $100 million. Universities help the young of Canada become prepared for the future, which can “help them join a strong, healthy middle class.”
The money comes a combined federal-provincial monetary fund announced by the Hon. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and the Hon. Andrew Wilkinson, British Columbia’s Minister of Advanced Education, on September 19.
“This once-in-a-generation investment by the Government of Canada is a historic down payment on the government’s vision to position Canada as a global centre for innovation. That means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions?” Bains said.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is an AUSU Councillor. He works with various organizations, and runs In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, and In-Sight Publishing.
