Details of Budget 2016 Funding for Primary and Secondary Education

To address the critical need to improve education outcomes, Budget 2016 included substantial investments in primary and secondary education on reserve, totalling $2.6 billion over five years starting in 2016–17. These investments will provide funding to address immediate pressures and to keep pace with cost growth in the medium term and will support the transformation of the current on reserve education system through a respectful process of consultation and partnership with First Nations. For 2016-2017, investments will be delivered through the existing elementary and secondary education program suite, in order to ensure that funds begin to benefit students in the upcoming school year. These investments will have an immediate impact at the school level and will benefit students in a tangible way. This includes:

$747.6 million to address immediate funding needs and program growth:

A portion of these funds will be delivered through the Elementary and Secondary Education Program to address pressures such as population increases reflected in the number of eligible students, as well as increased costs of education service delivery. Also, for the first time, the High-Cost Special Education Program, the New Paths for Education Program, and the First Nation Student Success Program will also receive new annual incremental increases beginning in 2016-17 to reflect pressures on these programs and to allow for the expansion and addition of projects.

$275 million to support First Nations language and culture

This targeted support will be directed under the New Paths for Education Program under the “school effectiveness” stream and is intended to improve the effectiveness of classroom instruction through curriculum and language development.  This investment recognizes the unique circumstances and needs of First Nations children and will enrich the classroom experience.

$577.5 million to support students with special needs

These investments to the High-Cost Special Education Program will provide support for both direct services to students and indirect services that support them.

$100 million to support literacy and numeracy

This investment will be delivered through the First Nation Student Success Program.

$824.1 million to implement transformation in First Nations education

This investment will support First-Nations led projects that develop capacity of education organizations to deliver services that directly benefit First Nation students across the country. This can include the establishment and expansion of innovative models in First Nations education to help those communities wanting to create successful education systems for youth on reserve.

$37.5 million to support innovation, research, measurement and evaluation

This funding will ensure that knowledge and innovation is translated to the First Nations setting in a way that makes sense.

$30 million to support the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative

This funding is intended to support the Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative’s partnerships with First Nations and activities intended to raise the literacy rate of First Nations children on reserve. These projects are intended to increase the level of services for students, and compliment other on-going and new education activities developed and delivered by First Nations.