HomeMy WebLinkAbout10b Delegation Des Doran re Funding Services in the Ethnocultural AreaR E E I V E D I s tation to the Ottawa - Carleton District School Board
CORPORATE RECa
"Community Co cerns with respect to the Board's Allocation of Resources and
MAY 2 1 1rvices in the Areas of Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity -
Retaining the Position of Coordinator"
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[Wn Nr resente y s Doran, Member, Community Council for Ethnocultural Equity
Monday, 25 May 1998
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Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight as a
Member of the Community Council for Ethnocultural Equity. I
also attend :Board Meetings as the Education. Committee
Representative of The Jamaican (Ottawa) Community Association
Inc.
As a member of the Multicultural Advisory Committee of the
former Ottawa Board of Education, I participated in the recent
amalgamation process of the two Boards, and am fully aware of
the trauma being inflicted on education in Ottawa (and indeed
throughout Ontario) by the Harris Government. But I appear
before you tonight to say that when you make certain kinds of
cuts and adjustments in response to that trauma, my
communities bleed: my communities fail to receive the
educational nourishment which we need as we strive to
become Canadian citizens.
1 am here tonight specifically to urge the Board to maintain the
position of Coordinator of Antiracism and Ethnocultural
Equity, and to ensure adequate resources and services in this
area.
Please bear with me while I digress to give two examples of
returns to Canada from investments in the education of visible
minority immigrants:
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• A few days ago,1 sat in Rideau Hall and felt pride as the
Governor General presented my Brother -in -law, Dr. Con
Campbell with the Order of Canada in recognition. of 30 years
of contribution to scientific research on Canadian Prairie soils,
with remarkable returns to Canadian agriculture. Dr. Campbell
came to Canada from Jamaica and completed Bachelor's,
Master's and Doctorate degrees in Canada.
• The Canadian University of another Caribbean colleague now
hangs his portrait photograph in its hall. He also has the Order
of Canada for contributions in the field of public education.
When he proposed his studies in the 1950s, education
authorities suggested that he pursue a trade instead.
In making a case for maintaining the position of Coordinator of
Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity, i will focus on the following
main points:
• Board Policy
• The Mandate of the Community Council
• Ethnocultural Diversity and the Need for Services
1. Board Policy:
Both the former Ottawa Board and the former Carleton Board had
Ethnocultural and Equity Policies which committed the Boards to
ensuring equity of access, treatment and outcomes for all students
regardless of race or ethnocultural background. As you know, the
Boards had specific plans of action for implementing these
policies in the areas of Board Policies, Leadership, School -
Community Partnerships, Curriculum, Student Languages, Student
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'Evaluation, Guidance and Counselling, Harassment, and Stair
Development.
1 am uncertain as to the wording of the present commitment by the
new Ottawa - Carleton District School Board to an Antiracism and
Ethnocultural Equity Policy; but I trust that it is similar to the
commitment of the two founding Boards.
However, the best of intensions, as evidenced by Board Policy,
will not achieve concrete objectives, will not provide
sustenance to our ethnoculturally diverse communities without
proper staff resources!
2. The Mandate of the Community Council:
The Community Council for Ethnocultural Equity (CCEE) is the
phoenix of the two previous advisory committees of the Ottawa
and Carleton Boards. The CCEE was established with the
following general objectives:
l , To advise the Board on the effective implementation of
its antiracism and ethnocultural equity policies and
plans.
2. To promote the development of a school environment
that allows students to achieve their full potential in all
areas of life.
Meetings of the CCEE are attended by 70 -100 members drawn
from the very diverse communities served by the Board.
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As a member of the CCEE, and following consultation with
several other members of the Council, I hereby express great
concern at the information that the Board's staffing plans for
1998 -99 call for the elimination of the position of Coordinator
for Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity.
As a member of the CCEE, it is my opinion that the Board cannot
provide adequate attention to issues in the areas of antiracism and
ehnocultural equity without committing resources in the form of a
dedicated coordinator. The Board needs a skilled professional
working solely on the issues and problems facing our multicultural
students and their parents!
I recognize the opportunity which exists for the CCEE to carry out
its mandate by working with both the Board and staff, and
students and their parents. However, while the CCEE can be
particularly useful to parents and can provide a conduit for
interchange between the communities and the Board, it seems to
me that the Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity Coordinator is a
vital support person for the Teachers of the Board. From
observation as a member of the Antiracism and Ethnocultural
Equity Network, which linked the Coordinator with the
Multicultural Advisory Committee of the former OBE and with
Teachers in the Board, Teachers have come to rely on the resource
represented by the Coordinator. As we are all aware, the Teachers'
needs in this area are increasing, not decreasing, as Canada
becomes more diverse. The Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity
Coordinator is needed now and will be needed even more in the
future.
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As an advisory committee to the Board, the CCEE stands ready to
work with the Board, by making available the variety of
experience and expertise of our members: this was said in the
presentation to the Board on 16 December 1997. However, a
volunteer body such as the CCEE cannot contribute to the extent
that a full -time professional staff member of the Board would be
able to contribute. The existence of the CCEE itself demonstrates
the need for internally committed resources.
3. Ethnocultural Diversity and the Need for Services:
According to the 1996 Census data, the Visible Minority
Population of Ottawa -Hull constituted 11.5% of the total
population in the area. Our own casual observations tell us just
how rich an ethnocultural city Ottawa has become in the past 20-
30 years. Along with this rich diversity comes a greater demand
for attention to implementing the antiracism and ethnocultural
policies of the Board. There is the need, for example, to address
religion: for example, with respect to scheduling tests, exams and
school events, and to promote respect for religious practices.
It is also clear that meeting the needs of E.S.L. and E.S.D. learners
is a critical component of the student languages section of the
Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity Policy of the Board.
Similarly, as a Member of the CCEE, I am concerned at any
reductions in funding to Adult Education programs.
Let me close this section by referring to the Awards Ceremony
emony
held at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, 14 May 1998, for the
Competition put on for students in Ottawa Schools by the City of
Ottawa's Advisory Committee on Equity and Diversity and the
Unity Institute. The title of the Competition was "After the
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Festivities are Over... ", as part of the United Nations' Day for the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination. As Project Leader, I can say
that the entries showed not only the Hope for the Future but also
the proof of the need for the Board to be vigilant in the area of
Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity.
Conclusion:
If the Board discontinues the position of Coordinator for
Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity, how will the Board continue
to attach adequate priority to Antiracism and Ethnocultural issues
in the Board?
If the Board attaches importance to the principle of Equity, how
will the Board ensure adherence to this principle in the activities
of the Board?
How will the Board guarantee resources for staff training in the
area of Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity, in the future?
How does the Board intend to interact on a continuing basis with
its advisory committee, the Community Council for Ethnocultural
Equity?
We would like your answers to the above.
We recommend that the position of Coordinator for
Antiracism and Ethnocultural Equity be retained in the
Board, and that adequate resources be allocated to the work of
this position.
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