Thank you.
Good afternoon, I would like to thank the chair and committee members for the opportunity to speak on the subject of healthy schools.
At Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the department's primary role is to support first nations and Inuit in developing healthy, sustainable communities and in achieving their economic and social aspirations.
We are responsible for delivering provincial-like services such as education, community infrastructure, and social services to status Indians on reserve. The vast majority of these programs and services are delivered in partnership with first nations, who directly administer 85% of the department's program funds with the goal of ensuring that programs and services on reserve are comparable to those available to other Canadians. For education, the Government of Canada has the financial responsibility for first nations elementary and secondary students living on reserve who attend first nation, provincial, federal, or private schools.
The elementary and secondary education of Inuit learners falls under the direct jurisdiction of the province or territory they live in. Over the last ten years, the number of schools managed directly by first nations has increased from 372 to over 500, with only seven federally operated schools remaining. This means 99% of the schools are controlled by communities themselves. Approximately 60% of first nation students attend first nation schools, with the remaining 40% attending provincial, federal, or private schools.
INAC plays a support role through its education and capital programs to Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch for the development of healthy schools. INAC's main role in education is as a funder. While the department itself is not involved in the development of curriculum, it does stipulate that the schools being funded must provide education that is comparable to what is required in provincial schools by the statutes, regulations, or policies of the province in which the reserve is located.
INAC's special education program provides first nations with funding for student assessments, the development and monitoring of individual education plans, and professional services such as education psychologists and speech and language therapists. The department also has supplementary proposal-based sources of funding that schools can draw from in order to promote a healthy school environment. “New Paths for Education” is a proposal-based initiative used in a variety of ways to improve the school environment and classroom instruction and to strengthen overall school governance. In past years, some participating schools have used this initiative for breakfast and lunch programs.
Parental and community engagement strategy is another proposal-based program that contributes to healthy school environments through funding for activities such as highlighting the importance of screening for detection of any special education needs of a child, and reinforcing the importance of regular check-ups, such as hearing, vision, dental, nutrition, immunizations, and hospitalizations.
INAC has a capital facilities and maintenance program, which supports infrastructure investments in schools and recreational facilities. For school facilities, communities may build gymnasiums, sports fields, and playgrounds, as specified in the departmental level of service standards for schools and school site development. Specifically, INAC's school space accommodation standards allow for the construction of a gymnasium where a first nations school has a projected enrolment of more than 87 students.
As of 2006, there were 250 schools that had at least one gym, and 173 schools that had a multi-purpose room that could serve as a gym. This program also allows for the provision of funding for educational furniture, equipment, and furnishings, including playgrounds and other similar equipment for schools. In addition, the capital facilities and maintenance program can contribute towards the construction of community buildings, including recreational facilities and community halls like arenas, community recreational centres, and indoor pools.
In 2006, 504 first nation communities had at least one type of recreational facility. This includes 142 arenas, 57 gymnasiums, and one indoor pool. The department is also committed to working with other departments that have a similarly vested interest in healthy youth and in particular healthy school environments. For instance, the department is not a member of the Joint Consortium for School Health, but supports the Public Health Agency of Canada as the federal representative.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for giving me the opportunity to speak on this important subject.