The Poverty of Indian Tribes

In the US we hope that gambling concessions will left Indian tribes out of their poverty. Canada has a different approach:

INDIGENOUS CANADIANS EMBRACE DISTANCE EDUCATION

Canada's indigenous people wanting to take part in the knowledge economy are turning to Web-based learning, e-conferencing, bulletin boards, e-mail, and self-paced learning, the Conference Board of Canada reported. The board's report identified 10 projects in which technology was used to boost learning for indigenous people. In New Brunswick, the Tobique Information and Technology Learning Center provided Microsoft certification training to 26 indigenous students. Members of the Musqueam First Nation in British Columbia learned about restaurant operations using a blended approach. The report is the board's most recent study on indigenous people's attitudes towards education. Just three months earlier, the Canadian government had announced its plans to deploy high-speed connectivity for its residents. (Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 8 October 2001)

Ronald Hilton - 10/8/01