National Chief Once Again Targeting Education

The head of the Assembly of First Nations has written to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, stressing the urgent need for greater aboriginal education funding in the next federal budget.
National Chief Shawn Atleo‘s request comes as the federal government says it is willing to negotiate improvements to its plan to reform First Nations education.
Atleo says he has yet to get a response to his November letter from Flaherty’s office.
The chief added, however, that he makes similar requests every year as the finance minister crafts his annual budgets.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada says that in 2011-12, it spent about $1.55 billion on First Nations education from kindergarten to Grade 12, and another $322 million on First Nation and Inuit students pursuing post-secondary education.
That’s on top of about $200 million spent on infrastructure for schools and classrooms.
But the AFN says that money falls short of what is needed.