Natives call for school within Calgary system

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The city's two school boards are ignoring Native calls to set up a separate Indian school for Calgary's rapidly expanding Native population.

It's needed in order to stop Indian children from dropping out, senior administrators with the public and Catholic school boards were told at a recent Native urban parent urban parent advisory committee conference.

With statistics showing about 75 per cent of Native students from out of school before graduation, they thought a separate Indian school was a good idea- and promised to take it to their school boards for study.

But Indian spokesperson say nothing's been done to date. About 2,000 registered Indians, and a similar number of non-status Indians and Metis students, attend Calgary's Catholic and public schools. The city has a Native population of more than 15,000.

Setting up a separate Indian school for Native students - jointly by the public and Catholic boards or within one of the school systems - was recommended by Blood Band director of education Pier De Paola.

He says it's one of two ways Indian parents can begin to control the quality of education offered Native students.

The other option is to ask school board trustees to approach the provincial minister of education with a request he appoint a Native trustee, which De Paola says the new School Act allows.

Kathy Yellowhorne, chairperson of the Catholic system's Native education parents' advisory committee, called the proposal "a refreshing idea."

Bruce Starlight, Sarcee Band councillor responsible for education, endorsed the concept. All Sarcee students are taught by Calgary school districts.

He said it would be a simple matter of discussing how soon such a school could be established.

And he went a step further.

He said a small umber of non-Natives, 30 or 40 students, could attend a Native school - or schools.

The separate Indian school idea also won cautious approval from Dr. Patrucua Klinck, the Calgary board of education's program services' superintendent.

She said the concept merits discussion and promised to take it back to her school board so it can be "looked at more closely."

Dr. Guy Doll, Calgary Catholic school board assistant superintendent of education, said he had "no idea if it can fly. In principle, I have no opposition."

Manitoba's lone Native judge Murray Sinclair told a Winnipeg education conference that Natives in that city need their own school system, not just a school.

Sinclair is one of two judges heading Manitoba's Native justice inquiry.

It works. Schools culturally tuned to large minority groups have proven their worth in New Brunswick, where the large French-speaking Acadian community has used them to climb out of the economic trap that once prevented Acadians from succeeding.

Like Natives, Acadians were long on the economic sidelines - practically second-class citizens in heir own land.

But not any more.

Since the introduction of schools that fit their needs, including a French-speaking university. Acadians have jumped into the business world with an unexpected entrepreneurial zeal.