The Yukon NDP is sharing the concerns of the Yukon First Nations Education Directorate over the statistics the territorial government is using to track graduation rates.
The directorate said Monday the government is lowballing Indigenous students’ true graduation rates by 25 per cent.
Of the government’s calculations, the directorate said, “upon closer inspection, you will find the numbers are grossly misleading – our kids aren’t graduating at the rates the government says they are, and the problem is getting worse.”
Kate White, the Yukon NDP Leader and MLA for Takhini-Kopper King, said Wednesday, “we agree with Yukon First Nations Education Directorate’s findings that graduation rates are at least 20 per cent worse than what the Department of Education reports,” she said Wednesday.
“The department only counts those students they think are likely to graduate when they calculate the graduation rate. Students who struggle from the beginning are simply left out. “They’re erased from the system and left behind.”
White added. “This government’s decision to exclude these students tells these kids that they don’t count. It’s clear the minister (Jeanie McLean) doesn’t believe in students or our educators. Once again, this government is failing kids.”
Despite repeated attempts beginning Tuesday morning, The Yukon Star has been unable to obtain a response on the directorate’s findings from the government.
