Good morning.
I am pleased to be able to address the committee on behalf of the Burnaby Board of School Trustees and to speak to you about some of the challenges we face in meeting the educational and social needs of our new student citizens.
The Burnaby School District has experienced many changes in the past two decades in direct relation to immigration patterns and trends. Approximately 20% of our student population currently receives English as a second language support and over 50% of our community has a first language other than English.
In the past few years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of refugee families arriving in our community. Currently, Burnaby receives 50% of all government-assisted refugees destined for B.C.
We believe school districts play a key role in helping immigrant and refugee students develop the fundamental skills and knowledge required to be successful in Canada. Although school districts are only funded to provide educational services to immigrant and refugee students, we are also involved in a wide range of settlement needs and issues for children and families for which there is no funding support.
As already indicated, the pattern of immigration to Bumaby has changed quite significantly. As mentioned by Councillor Dhaliwal, the mix and the countries of origin are now very different. According to a recent Immigrant Settlement Services report, 33% of the 2,444 refugees arriving in B.C. between January 2003 and December 2005 were school-aged, that is, between five and 19 years of age. In terms of place of origin, approximately 33% were from Afghanistan, 31% were from East Africa, and 20% were from the Middle East.
Currently, federal Immigration officials appear to focus almost exclusively on the head of the household in making immigration decisions. Little attention appears to be paid to the needs of the other family members until they arrive in Canada. Consequently, we are discovering a significant increase in the number of immigrant and refugee students with special education needs and frequently with a multiplicity of learning challenges.
Furthermore, a number of refugee students suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. While the actual number of students affected by PTSS may be small, the effects of this disorder on sufferers, fellow students, teachers, and the school community can be significant.
We are also experiencing a growth in the number of students whose families are still in survival mode, and this is especially true for many refugee families. It's difficult to learn when one is struggling to survive.
To compound the challenges facing our school district, immigration and refugee students continue to arrive in reasonably large numbers throughout the school year and have to be accommodated immediately upon arrival. However, students arriving in B.C. after September 30 are not counted for funding purposes, so their needs must be met without additional budget resources.
Our concerns can be summarized under four areas. The first would be the past educational experience. An increasing number of students and families arriving in Canada are illiterate in their first language and have little or no formal education. Youths arriving in their later teen years with less than grade three entry-level English language skills are less likely to develop the language required to graduate prior to turning 19 years of age, or to be prepared for suitable entry-level employment. This lack of formal education often complicates and delays educational progress and can lead to increased chances that these young people may be unemployable or destined for a life of under-employment.
Second are the family dynamics. Immigrant and refugee children often have more English language proficiency than their parents. This can result in a shift of controls within the family unit toward the child. This realigned balance of power can create long-term negative changes in response to legitimate authority.
Third are the shifts within cultural communities. There are dozens of cultural communities in British Columbia. Some are long-established, while others are relatively recent. Some tend to be insular, while others embrace integration. Some are relatively small, while others have grown to dramatic proportions in recent years, thereby affecting the communities where they live in substantial ways. The resulting social displacement is not a well-understood concept in any sector of the larger community, making this phenomenon extremely difficult to address in our schools.
Fourth is skill development and youth employment. Because of their age on arrival, limited English language ability, and/or other needs, a growing number of immigrant and refugee students run the risk of leaving our schools with inadequate skills to cope with even entry-level work opportunities, and they are unable to pursue post-secondary training opportunities. The lack of adequate education can lead to an increase in the percentage of unemployed or underemployed youth who are then further marginalized in society.
In summary, Canada's economy and democratic future will depend in large part on all levels of government working together to support the education, settlement, and integration of our immigrant and refugee youth.
The Burnaby School District understands the critical role that the public education system plays in preparing youth to be productive members of the workforce and to participate fully and actively in a democratic society.
I wish to be very clear: B.C. school districts, such as Burnaby, are up to the challenge. However, from our perspective, all levels of government must clearly recognize the direct relationship between successful settlement and successful education, the potential impacts of current democratic changes on both settlement and education, the need to respond to these changes in a collective proactive manner, and the need for resources and a collaborative effort to support successful settlement and foster a smooth transition from secondary school to productive employment and active participation in the Canadian workforce.
The multi-service hub facility proposed by the City of Burnaby is a dynamic, forward-thinking proposal that warrants government support. As well, there needs to be a public recognition of the significant role that school districts play in providing front line settlement services that help our immigrant and refugee youth become productive participative citizens. One tangible way of recognizing that role would be to provide school districts that enrol a significant number of refugee students with targeted federal funding to help support the fundamental needs of these new Canadian citizens.
Thank you for your time.