NORTH Vancouver schools have an enlight- ening new subject in their curriculum this year: sepregation. Or, if vou preter a political Iv correct span: attirmative al resource deployment. As outlined ina Sept. 17 News story, some parents at Queen Mary clementars school were a touch steamed to Jearn from their children thar} 1 native pupils had secured their own teacher, their own elassroon and their OWN computers, Their good fortune came courtesy of the federal govern- ment. Ottawa bestowed $196,000 on the tiscally chat- lenged North Vanceuver School District 44 as part of a $15 milion federal aboriginal technology program to help improve native literacy and PACCESS CO iechnology native children in B.C. The money is the first instalment for Nort Vancouver in the five-year pro gram. It will be shared smong 333 Squamish and Burrard band students in 13 District 44 schools. Non-aboriginal students should be so Jue As chronicled in other nt News stories, the di trict is mired in a batele with the provincial government over finding for new teachers The short version of the story is that North Vancouver got screwed by Victoria, which short-changed the school dis- trict $1.2 million it was sup- posed fo get to hire 17 new teachers. The additional teachers were needed to meet the yarns smaller class size requirements contained in the latest BoC. teachers’ contr, to say that $1.2 million budget hole has placed further strain on District 44's sguestioned the firness af allo: catuig federal resources based on race. But in this timorous Canada at the close of the 20th centare that fairness all depends upon which race you're talking about. In the Sept. 17 News story, District 44 jorincipal for school s Ton Tupper points out thar the sticeess rate for educating aboriginal children is “awtul” — only about a half dozen out of 300 who start school graduate reasons for that the public school system monopoly is not working for a lot of children -— be they abo- nginal or nor. But surely access to resources would be far down that list. Native children should have the same access to school resources as other children, Hf they don’t chat issue needs to be addressed. But the easy answer from the oxygen-deprived heights of Parliament Hill is to throw money at the problem. Your And the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs has a fot off to throw around: approvimareh Sf billion cach fear, Se what's another $196,000? And who out there vould be against batthag illiter: ny hands r.sed on that So lecs battle Hiteracs across the board. Because Pll bet the children of many non inal parents at Queen and at schools all over the North Shore have prob teins similar to those of abort inal children. They might like to have a classrooms size of LE, ches might cach like to have a com puter too. They might bur ‘re not from the right trict HE superintendent Robin Brasne points out that non aboriginal Queen Mary students will have access to the new computers. True, but only betore and alter classroom hours and only after the com puter programs are mastered by the native pupils, who will then be in charge of tutoring their non-native counterparts on the machines, Mliseracy and innumeracy are not challenges exclusive to aboriginal students. Ifthe federal government has extra funds for education to bartle illiteracy they should be allocared on the basis of need — not race, not social station, not which special inter- est group yelps the loudest. ‘arent Janet Gee hits the nail on the head when she says: “[fthe government said, ‘here’s half'a dozen comput- you supply the classroom in segregati and the teacher, but it’s ony tor white kids or Trani would thar be al yh dow't think so. [ts segreg tion. fs unacceptable.” The trouble ts My, Gice it’s pot unacceptable. It has become all too acceptable, The racial segregation at Queen Mary is merely the latest example of madern nada’s evolving, race based gBovemane Other examples include: d fisheries that Bithe Nisga’a treaty, which is about to be rammed through the federal Parhament, even though it establishes a BoC. 4 race: bascd goxsernment that excludes the participation of now Nisgaay OUP Dew Dwo-tiered justice system shat adjusts sentences according to racial back yround, No, Ms. Gee, it's not acceptable at all, bat unless Canadians start demanding: some sanity in how things are run in their couniry, the Canada they have known and loved tor so long will be Picture this... Serving W135i Oauconner shinee (OAS aon 184% Ambleside Lane 922-7737 (Directly behind Windsor Meats) Sunday. September 26. 1999 - North Shore News — 7 unacceptable, — rrenshawel divec?.ca bata tond memory. 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