Goal 2 & 3: Goals related to education
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Target 3: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Target 4. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015
Educational levels among indigenous peoples around the world are generally low. This is the case for indigenous communities in poor continents such as Africa, where educational levels are low overall although worse for indigenous peoples, but it is also the case in wealthy nations such as Canada, where indigenous peoples exhibit educational levels far below the national average.
This situation is a reflection of the general marginalization and exclusion from which indigenous peoples suffer. The goal of having all indigenous children attend and complete primary schooling is far from being universally achieved and the educational services open to indigenous children are generally below recommended minimum standards.
The situation of education among indigenous communities in general, and indigenous girls in particular, is a cause for concern in all parts of the world. However, the situation is of particular concern in Africa. Here, a great number of indigenous children do not go to school at all – a situation first and foremost caused by poverty and a lack of access to schools. Among those who do attend school, many tend to drop out early because of problems with boarding schools and separation from families, the need for mobility during the dry season, the poor quality of schools and teachers, mistreatment by teachers and the very fact that poor families can hardly afford to send their children to school. On top of this comes frustration among parents that their children's education tends to alienate them from their culture and traditions – without providing them with any viable alternatives, as job opportunities are extremely limited.
However, indigenous peoples have not remained passive observers of the shortcomings they are confronted with in the educational system. They have used all their creativity, imagination and potential to combat these failings and promote the social and cultural development of their communities. Many of these experiences are bearing fruit and deserve attention.
Further reading
In the Shadow of the MDGs: Pastoralist Women and Children in Tanzania, by Ndinini Kimesera Sikar and Dorothy L. Hodgson. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2006
Mother Tongue Old Debates and New Initiatives in San Education, by Maitseo Bolaane and Sidsel Saugestad. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2006
Editorial (Indigenous Peoples and Education), by Marianne Wiben Jensen. Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
Education in the Canadian Arctic: What Difference has the Nunavut Government Made?, by Jack Hicks. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
"We're going slowly because we're going far". Building an Autonomous Education System in Chiapas, by Stine Krĝijer. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
Indigenous Wisdom in Bilingual Intercultural Education: A Field of Struggle, by Jytte Vagner. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
Education and the San of Southern Africa, by Jennifer Hays and Amanda Siegrühn. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
Indigenous Peoples' Experiences with the Formal Education System: The Case of the Kenyan Pastoralists, by Johnson Ole Kaunga. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
Giving the Best Possible Start: Preschool Programme for Rural Indigenous Children in Sabah, Malaysia, by Anne Lasimbang. Article from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
In 2004 the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of the Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous People focused his annual report on the hindrances and inequalities facing indigenous peoples in relation to access to and quality of education systems. The report can be found here.
Tebtebba in the Philippines has produced a few briefing papers on indigenous peoples and education: "Briefing Paper 4: Indigenous Peoples and Education - Contextualizing Education" and "Briefing Paper 3: Indigenous Peoples and Education - Bringing Education Back into the Mainstream of Indigenous Peoples' Lives". The reports can be found here. |
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The pictures below are from Indigenous Affairs 1/2005
 A Ju/’hoan teacher from the Nyae Nyae Village Schools Project assists a learner. Photo: Catherine Collett/Kalahari Peoples Fund
 Bolivia. Photo: Nikolaj Bro Moseholm - Ibis
 Pre-school in Kg. Terian, Sabah. Photo: Christina Nilsson
 A shepherd school in Dol Dol, Kenya. Photo: Marianne Wiben Jensen
 Quechua women from Bolivia - Photo: ILO
 Preschool children doing an activity in class with their teacher. Photo: Colin Nicholas
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