Introduction
Education is essential in fostering cognitive and moral developments in a learner. In fact, Churchill (103) argues that learning institutions ought to base their curriculum on the betterment of student’s knowledge by fostering ethical values such as equality, fairness, lack of discrimination and respect for culture. However, residential schools threatened the development of this conservative ideology through the establishments of their education systems. They fostered not only cultural discrimination but also student abuse. According to the Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, the establishment of these institutions was based on two core objectives, which included the isolation of young children from the influence of their families, cultures, and the assimilation of the Aboriginal Indians into the dominant Canadian society (Smith, Colleen and Nancy 39). As such, this education system undermined cultural diversity as it perceived other societies to be inferior. As such, it did not sustain the essential requirements of a school system. Rather it undermined the ethical values by instilling false ideologies in the students. This paper evaluates the negative influences upheld by this education system through the analysis of real life scenarios. For s fact, the residential school system was erroneous as it undermined the fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination.
Isolation
The primary vice purported by the management of this education system was isolation. According to Rosalyn (74), students were forcefully taken away from their culture and dispersed from what they believed in. For instance, they were forbidden from conversing in their first language. This made it difficult for the students to integrate with one another and uphold the essential sections of their culture. The Canadian Journal of Native Education reports that the communication of the students with their parents through letters was limited to the English language. As such, they students lacked the liberty to express themselves as they pleased and in the most comfortable way. Consequently, this led to their isolation as they spent most of their time locked away in the educational facilities being forced to master the alien principles issued by the staff members. The materials used in enlightening the students were contrary to what the children believed in from their communities. For instance, the children were deprived of their initial religious beliefs, as the doctrines upheld in the academic institution were different. This administration led to the isolation of the students from their culture and means of livelihood.
Denigration
The residential schools diminished other societies. Precisely, they created a perception that the Christian and Canadian culture was the most dominant form of livelihood. As such, they disregarded the Indian culture by trying to assimilate the students into their recommended beliefs. According to Barnes, Nina and Esther (284) the staff members were impatient with the students and they often subjected them to harsh punishments. This led to physical abuse, as the students were disregarded. Additionally, the missionary staff spent large amounts of time making religious observances about the students’ response to the new doctrines. In most cases they undermined the aboriginal spiritual traditions by disputing the credibility of the Indian religious beliefs. Aside from the overall discrimination dispensed by the structure of the education system, the teaching staff did not seek to enlighten the students on essential academic principles fully. In fact, the students were only taught elementary principles and technical skills such as woodwork. Consequently, residential schools did not uphold societal beliefs. Rather, they denigrated them.
Abuse
Since the students within these institutions were locked in the system, they were prone to multiple forms of abuse. According to Regan (198), some of the residential school staff members were sexual predators; as such the mature female students were sexually exploited on multiple occasions. Aside from this type of abuse, infliction of physical injury was common within the institution. The Canadian Journal of School Psychology reports that correction was issued impatiently and in a severe manner. As a result, the staff members physically abused the learners. Moreover, the issuance of education was rather mediocre. This situation was largely accredited to the fact that the school management emphasized the importance of engaging in productive work activities. Consequently, half of the day spent at school was utilized in the cleaning of the institution. In spite of the fact that this initiative fosters productive work activities, it is worth mentioning that it was used as a strategy of cutting down the costs used in running the school. Consequently, residential schools fostered child abuse in their overall management.
Undermining culture
Cultural integration is essential in the stability of any institution. In fact, schools ought to uphold cultural diversity as doing the contrary yields negative results about the intercommunity respect. The residential schools greatly valued the Canadian culture and Christianity. Consequently, other forms of livelihood were rendered ineffective by the school management. As such, the staff members did their best to ensure other beliefs were eliminated from the school environment. For instance, monitoring the methods used in communication to filter the development of other languages (Churchill 183). Additionally, the staff members taught the lessons in English and French in spite of the fact that most students could not communicate effectively in these tongues. Finally, the Christian missionaries disputed the existence of other religions by undermining the credibility of their beliefs. This approach led to the abolition of cultural diversity as the students were being assimilated into the Canadian lifestyle. Consequently, residential schools undermined cultural diversity within the academic institutions.
Poor healthcare
Aside from the fact that students ought to be taken care of while at educational institutions, the residential schools did not take keen consideration in the welfare of their learners. According to Regan (127), research presented by a food historian at some residential schools in the 1950s revealed that the students at residential schools were exposed to nutritional food experiments without their knowledge or that of their parents. Some of these experiments included denial of food or dental care to a group of students to ascertain the effects of such practices on their health. In most cases, this initiative had some negative impacts on the health care of the students involved. Additionally, the access to medical services at these institutions was limited. Consequently, students continually suffered from communicable diseases like influenza and tuberculosis. The Canadian Journal of Nursing Research reports that the Spanish flu epidemic experienced between 1918 and 1919 affected this institution causing death to some students due to lack of influential medical facilities. Consequently, the situation at residential schools was non-conducive for learning as it exposed its students to multiple health risks.
Disease and death
Conclusion
In conclusion, the policies utilized in the management of the residential schools were erroneous, as they did not foster the fundamental equality principles. Primarily, it is essential to respect other people’s culture and foster ethical development to enhance academic excellence. Nonetheless, these schools undermined other cultures for the somewhat superior Canadian livelihood. Disregard for other religions for Christianity overlooked the importance of religious diversity within academic establishments. The students were isolated and confined to permanent establishments where they were forced to ignore their original cultural beliefs for what they would be taught at the institution. Their traditional beliefs were denigrated to extreme levels. The staff members sexually and physically abused the students. The lack of proper medical attention led to the death of many students due to the prevalence of communicable diseases and poor sanitation within these establishments. As such, there is no justification to claim that the positive impacts of empowering students through residential schools outweigh the detrimental effects. For a fact, the residential education system was erroneous as it undermined the fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination.
Works Cited
Barnes, Rosemary, Nina Josefowitz, and Ester Cole. "Residential schools impact on Aboriginal students’ academic and cognitive development." Canadian Journal of School Psychology 21.1-2 (2006): 18-32.Print.
Churchill, Ward. Kill the Indian, save the man: The genocidal impact of American Indian residential schools. City lights books, 2004. Print.
Regan, Paulette. Unsettling the settler within: Indian residential schools, truth telling, and reconciliation in Canada. uBc Press, 2010. Print.
Rosalyn, N. "The Effects of Residential Schools on Native Child-Rearing Practices." Canadian Journal of Native Education 18 (2007): 65-118.Print.
Smith, Dawn, Colleen Varcoe, and Nancy Edwards. "Turning around the intergenerational impact of residential schools on Aboriginal people: Implications for health policy and practice." CJNR (Canadian Journal of Nursing Research) 37.4 (2005): 38-60.Print.
