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- Unemployment and poverty continue to be significant barriers. As confirmed by
the Assembly of First Nations, unemployment rates for all Aboriginal groups continue
to be at least double the rate of the non-Aboriginal population. Registered Indians
have the highest unemployment rate of any Aboriginal group at 27 percent as well as
the lowest labour force participation rate with a rate of 54 percent. In addition,
Aboriginal children are more likely to live in one-parent families as confirmed by 2001
Census data that 32 percent of Aboriginal children on reserves lived with a one
parent and 46 percent of those in census metropolitan areas, whereas only 17
percent of non-Aboriginal children lived with a lone parent.10 These statistics indicate
that the majority of Aboriginal families do not have the employment incomes which
permit them to pay for their children’s post-secondary education. As such, the
majority of Aboriginal students must seek out other sources of financial assistance to
attend college or university.
- Lack of Academic Preparation and Prerequisites of Aboriginal Students: Not only are
Aboriginal students facing barriers due to low high school graduation rates, they are also less
academically prepared for post-secondary education which leads to high drop out rates.
Rural and remote and reserve schools typically do not offer the academic preparation required
for a successful transition to post-secondary education. In some cases, Aboriginal students
seeking to enrol in post-secondary institutions do not have the academic prerequisites for
success in programs, whether they are mature students who may not have completed high
school, or young graduates who do not have the necessary courses such as mathematics and
science or lack the skills needed to succeed, such as study skills, time management, and
computer literacy.
As highlighted above, Aboriginal post-secondary students tend to be older, since more
Aboriginal learners return to post-secondary studies later in life, and often require upgrading in
basic academic skills in order to succeed their programs.
- Financial barriers: Non-Status and Métis students, as well as Status Indians living off-
reserve, face significant financial barriers which affect their participation in post-secondary
education. In the case of Non-Status and Métis students, the Statistics Canada 2001
Aboriginal Peoples Survey found that finances was one of the top two reasons among the
Aboriginal non-reserve population for not finishing post-secondary studies, for which 22
percent cited financial reasons. These students typically must rely on their own resources or
Canada Student Loans which are often insufficient.
While many Status Indian students can access funding from INAC through the Post-
Secondary Student Support Program, according to the Assembly of First Nations currently
“10,000 First Nations students who are eligible and looking to attend post-secondary education
are on waiting lists because of under-funding.”11 Although the number of students funded by
the Post-Secondary Support Program increased from about 3,600 in 1977-78 to approximately
27,500 in 1999-2000, this program has limited resources because funding has not increased
since 1994 when $20 million was added. The Assembly of First Nations also found that
Aboriginal students only receive enough funding to cover 48 percent of the estimated average
provincial cost per student per academic year.