‘Harmful, damaging’ Burnaby exam question about Indigenous history under review
Posted June 11, 2021 5:50 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BURNABY (NEWS 1130) — An offensive question about the colonization of Canada on a high school exam in Burnaby has prompted an apology — and a review– by the district.
A Grade 9 Social Studies exam included a question asking students to “explain how First Nations people benefitted from their relationships with European colonizers and said, ‘many took advantage of those relationships,” according to a statement from District Superintendent Gina Niccoli-Moen.
The apology and review were prompted when a student told CBC News about the question on Thursday.
“I am grateful to the student for raising this, recognizing how incredibly wrong this question is, and having the courage to do something about it. While the question should never have been on the exam, this is an opportunity for reflection and an important reminder that we must remain vigilant and reflective as we work to ground anti-racism work in Indigenous knowledge and perspectives,” Niccoli-Moen wrote on Friday.
“It is inappropriate and worse than that, this kind of question is harmful and could be trauma-inducing for Indigenous youth and damaging to meaningful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This is not the way we integrate Indigenous perspectives and worldviews into curriculum in the Burnaby School District. This does not represent our values or the true impact of colonization on Indigenous peoples. And yet it happened.”
However, Niccoli-Moen noted an apology alone is not enough, and outlined steps the district will be taking to “prevent this from happening again.” Those steps include following up with students in the class, reviewing course materials, reviewing the process through which course materials were developed, and reaching out to Elders and “the Indigenous community.”
This is the second time in the last year that a B.C. school district has had to issue an apology for the way students are being taught about colonization in Canada. In November, 2020, the Abbotsford school district apologized after an Indigenous mother pointed out a homework assignment that asked students to find “positive experiences with residential schools.”
In 2015, as a response to the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, British Columbia ushered in changes to the provincial curriculum. Lessons that focus on Indigenous history and culture, including how past discriminatory government policies resulted in the crushing legacy of Canada’s residential school system.
There have also been changes to requirements for teachers. Most educators must now complete a mandatory course around Indigenous peoples and history if they want to become a teacher.
With files from The Canadian Press
