The Saskatchewan Provincial Auditor’s Report for 2023 was released, highlighting issues within the province regarding education, income support and highway maintenance, just to name a few.
The report said less than 50 per cent of Indigenous students graduate Grade 12 within three years of beginning Grade 10, and the Ministry of Education lacks plans to improve the situation.
Provincial auditor Tara Clemett said the province has implemented several initiatives targeting Indigenous student graduation rates since the Inspiring Success: First Nations and Métis PreK-12 Education Policy Framework was released in 2018, but the rates have remained roughly the same.
Clemett said about 44.7 per cent of Indigenous students are graduating in that timeframe, compared with 88.7 per cent of non-Indigenous students.
“A strong start to education develops skills needed to be successful in school and life,” Clemett said.
“Providing Indigenous students with opportunities to cultivate a solid understanding and foundation in reading, math, and science gives students the skills and knowledge to graduate.”
The report said in the 2020-21 school year there were more than 34,000 Indigenous students enrolled in provincial school divisions.
It gave a list of recommendations for the ministry:
- Measures and targets set to evaluate Indigenous student academic achievement beyond graduation rates need to be expanded. The report said this will allow for a broader analysis that can inform required change.
- Require enhanced reporting from school divisions regarding Indigenous student success once the expanded measures and targets are set.
- Determine what actions are needed to address the root causes of underperforming initiatives related to Indigenous student success. The report said sharing summarized reports with school divisions will help identify successful activities and barriers to implementation.
“We found none of the goals within the framework indicated how or when the Ministry plans to measure the framework’s success,” the report read. “Having measurable goals helps organizations monitor progress and decide whether changes are needed.
“Setting additional measures and targets that focus on improving Indigenous student achievement (such as numeracy, literacy, attendance, and Indigenous-student feedback and engagement assessments) would allow the Ministry to analyze relevant data and identify improvements to share with school divisions.”
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