Saskatchewan farmers have a vested interest in seeing aboriginal education increase in the province, says a university economist.
According to a recent report by University of Saskatchewan economist Eric Howe, closing the education gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal residents comes with significant economic benefits.
“I think farmers have more on the line in these issues than any other single segment in society, other than aboriginal people themselves. If these issues are not addressed in the medium term, given its demographic reality, Saskatchewan will become an unpleasant place to live,” Howe said.
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“If you’re an accountant, you can just move someplace else, but if you’re a farmer, that’s much more difficult.”
Howe compared the economic and social benefits of increasing aboriginal education to that of the province’s potash industry.
“Closing Saskatchewan’s aboriginal education gap would have the direct effect of yielding $90 billion in benefits,” said Howe.
“To put this into context, the potash industry is universally understood to be critical to the economy of our province. However, the total production of potash in Saskatchewan back to the start of the industry is … four-fifths of $90 billion.”
Howe likens the growing aboriginal population to an untapped natural resource. One in four people between the ages of 20 and 29 will be aboriginal in Saskatchewan by 2016, he said.
“I think a lot of people don’t realize how much money is on the line here and how much money is being left unclaimed,” he said.
“The amount is staggering. The lost benefits are greater than all sales of potash in the history of Saskatchewan.”
His report found that the aboriginal education gap is large and will take decades to bridge. Closing it could produce a lasting economic boom for the province that’s more sustainable than mining or other economic activity.
The Gabriel Dumont Institute hired Howe to conduct the research. The institute, which was incorporated in 1980, has trained more than 1,000 teachers and is one of the top two producers of the province’s practical nurses.
Howe said people’s incomes rise on average when they achieve higher levels of education. This is particularly true of Metis and First Nations people, he added.
Howe combined personal monetary and other benefits, as well as various societal benefits to arrive at his $90 billion benefit.
For example, a Metis male without a high school diploma can expect to earn $547,000 over a lifetime. It triples to $1.67 million with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Angie Caron knows the value of education. She is a graduate of the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teach- ers Education Program and works as an educational consultant for Saskatoon Public Schools.
She said educational achievements create positive role models for aboriginals and non-aboriginals.
“It’s important for everyone to see us in the roles that we also contribute because sometimes those stereotypes are what people remember,” she said.
