Utoo Radio with Other News Sources, September 23, 2024 - The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is introducing a new Grade 11 English course, Understanding Contemporary First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Voices (NBE3), to all 114 high schools in the province.
The change, which is part of a broader plan to replace the existing curriculum and make the course mandatory for all students, aims to promote truth and reconciliation and highlight Indigenous perspectives.
The NBE3 course, which has been offered at select TDSB schools for over a decade, follows the TDSB's 2022 motion to embed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action (TRC) and the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in all areas of board processes and practices.
The TDSB joins several other boards across the province that have introduced the course at their schools.
Advocates argue that the changes have only come after years of inaction from Ontario's publicly funded schools, with only 13 of the 94 calls to action being fully implemented, none of which were those focused on education.
Call to Action No. 63 urges the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including developing and implementing a Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history, building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect, and identifying teacher-training needs.
The new NBE3 course in classrooms will vary widely across the province, with the ministry's curriculum outlines specific learning goals but does not offer a list of mandatory texts.
The breadth of the curriculum allows teachers to tailor the course to their students, keeping the material contemporary and relevant.
However, concerns have been raised about the implementation of the new curriculum and the lack of qualified educators.
Some say the board needs to continue following calls to action outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the articles of the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, ensuring Indigenous perspectives are central to all courses across the TDSB through all grades.
