When they arrived, the Europeans built schools: their children and the young Aboriginals mainly studied the Christian religion, as well as reading, writing and arithmetic.
Later, many Aboriginal children were sent to residential schools, where religion was still the most important subject taught. Above all, Aboriginal people were encouraged to abandon their own cultures and adopt that of Canadians.
Today, Aboriginal leaders and the Government of Canada are responsible for education in Aboriginal communities. In addition to the subjects taught in all Quebec schools (languages, mathematics, history …), Aboriginal children learn elements of their cultures, such as their language and traditional practices.
However, many Aboriginal youth quit school before completing high school. It may be because school does not seem adapted to them: they do not recognize themselves in the textbooks, their culture is not taught in the school, they do not know many Aboriginal adults who have succeeded at school (role models), and teachers sometimes do not stay for very long in remote communities. There are many programs aimed at helping Aboriginal youth to stay in school to prepare for their future.