The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate and the Yukon Child and Youth Advocate Office have released calls to action to address systemic racism in the Yukon education system.
Contained within a report entitled “For Our Children: Systemic Racism in Yukon’s Education System,” the calls to action address the Yukon government. There are twenty-five calls to action, categorized into areas of philosophy, pedagogy (the method of teaching), relations and operations.
The contents of the report look at the experiences of systemic racism within schools in the Yukon. Study authors analyzed data collected from Yukon schools between 2014 and 2024. They engaged with 300 participants, including citizens of all 14 Yukon First Nations. They also formally engaged with eight Yukon First Nations.
The review found there was “academic segregation” within the Yukon school systems.
Indigenous students were most often relegated to specialized programs, where they were seen as less capable.
“From there,” reads the report, “Self-excluding, or skipping class, is a natural byproduct.”
Even when adjusting for literacy and numeracy assessment scores, Indigenous enrollment in lower-level academic courses was higher, per the report. This indicates Indigenous students were more frequently streamed into lower-level classes, even without scores to support that decision, or that there were lacking supports to help Indigenous students make the transition into high school.
The report also found that the streaming can begin in the very geography of the school system: rural schools are said to be “50 years behind” urban schools, lacking resources and support.
The student populations of rural schools is also predominantly Indigenous, per the report.
“The absence of a fair and responsive system to address these challenges means that rural students are denied the same education as their urban counterparts,” reads the report.
The report also found some teachers used misinformed and misguided practices.
The only mandatory course for teachers in the Yukon is Yukon First Nations 101 out of Yukon University: the course is often maxed out, and is only a one-day course which cannot provide the necessary depth of understanding for teachers.
There is also no oversight to track whether teachers are actually completing the course, per the report.
Plus, given the shortage of teachers and educational staff cross-territory, teachers can sometimes work for years without getting training on the local context of the area where they teach.
“This creates an environment where educators, despite their best efforts, may unintentionally perpetuate stereotypes or misunderstandings to their lack of local knowledge,” reads the report.
Within the education system, Indigenous content is treated as an “add-on” — as opposed to being incorporated into the broader curriculum, per the report. The dominant culture’s values are seen as the norm — whereas anything outside of that culture is a token, reads the report. In a truly decolonized system, per the report, Indigenous knowledge would be embedded throughout all subjects and grade levels.
In looking at data from within the school systems, the report found that Indigenous students do not receive the same level of support as their non-Indigenous peers, and that they tend to receive more negative feedback, higher rates of discipline and have a greater likelihood of dropping out of school.
For example in 28.3 per cent of incidents where Yukon First Nations students were found in possession of drugs they received suspensions. Whereas 7.8 per cent of non-Indigenous students received the same punishment.
The report follows a lineage of audits and reviews of the Yukon education system. The 2000 Auditor General’s Report on Education, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun’s Two Trails One Vision Report from 2003, the 2008 Education Reform Report and the 2009 Auditor General’s Report on Education all identified outstanding systemic failures in the education system, especially for First Nations students.
“Without significant legislative reform, sustainable funding and full recognition of Indigenous authority in education, the cycle of the incremental progress without transformative change is likely to continue,” reads the report.
A Department of Education spokesperson Michael Edwards told the News via email that the department welcomes the review.
Edwards wrote the department acknowledges the systemic barriers within the education system, and that the department is committed to meaningful collaboration with the Yukon Child and Youth Advocate’s Office, Yukon First Nations, educators and other partners.
Immediate actions will include: engaging with the child advocate's office, First Nations and education partners to review and implement recommendations; integrating traditional knowledge and cultural responsive practices into curriculum and policy; and enhancing professional development for educators around cultural safety, anti-racism and inclusive education practices.
The statement also said the Department of Education is working to renew the Joint Education Action Plan — an agreement between the territory, the federal government and First Nations governments to increase Indigenous authority, enhance language and culture, providing more support and improving data collection. According to the report itself, the plan was never funded or implemented.
The First Nation School Board (FNSB), which was started in 2022, also provided a statement on the report to the News via email.
Melissa Flynn, the executive director of the FNSB, is quoted as saying “This report does not bring us any new information, however it does play an important role in reminding us that there is still a lot of work to be done.”
She goes on to say the First Nation School Board was created to address many of the concerns highlighted in the review, and “we are actively working together with each community and First Nation government to break trail for the systemic changes needed.”
The Yukon government is called upon to respond to the review by June 30 and provide a public response by December 2025.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
