BLOCK B
ENGLISH FIRST PEOPLES ARTICLE 4
HOW HAS ENGLISH FIRST PEOPLES BECOME MANDATORY IN BC?
- BC's commitment to truth, reconciliation, and anti-racism
- Promoting understanding and awareness
- Implementing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act
KEY POINTS
FIRST PEOPLES PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING
Unlike many other subjects that are also mandatory, they have been key essential subjects all around the globe. However, as of 2023/24, students in British Columbia are required to take English First Peoples 12 in order to graduate.​​​
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This subject also aims to promote the awareness and understand of Indigenous cultures, histories, and perspectives to all students instead of the small percentage originally taking this course. This Indigenous-focused graduation requirement also provides all students with the time and opportunity to develop deeper understanding and a broader knowledge base of Indigenous worldviews, histories and cultures.
This has been taken into affect now because of B.C.'s provincial government passing the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act into law on November 2019. This Declaration Act aims to create a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous Peoples while introducing better transparency and predictability in the work done together.​
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​The implementation of this becoming a mandatory subject is a concrete step towards reconciliation, helping to build understanding of the shared history and experiences of Indigenous peoples in B.C..
HOW DOES THE CREDIT SYSTEM WORK NOW?
The number of credits have not increased in order for a student to graduate, which remains at 80, with 52 of the credits being mandatory classes, and at least 16 credits being obtained at the Grade 12 level. Students will not necessarily need to take additional courses, as they may have the option to choose one of the provincial courses that meet both an existing graduation requirement as well as the new graduation requirement, depending on their school or district’s specific course offerings.
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Students are allowed to choose either First Peoples social studies, or English First Peoples in order to gain four required Indigenous-focused credit.
