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Congratulations to second-year Schulich Law student Eni Oguntona whose paper, “Rated PG for Parental Guidance: A Legal Analysis of Nova Scotia’s Breach of Fiduciary Duty to African Nova Scotian Students,” was selected to be presented at the 17th annual Canadian Law Student Conference at the University of Windsor in Ontario.

The Canadian Law Student Conference, organized by the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues (WRLSI) will take place on March 14-15, 2024. It invites law students to submit original academic work to be considered for the opportunity to present and receive feedback from faculty, law students, practitioners, and judges from across Canada.

Oguntona’s paper explores the disproportionate placement of African Nova Scotian primary and secondary students on Independent Program Plans (IPPs) and its legal implications.

IPPs are developed when an educator perceives that a student may not be able to meet the outcomes in the provincial school curriculum and alters the education requirements. A 2016 review found that African Nova Scotians, other students of African descent, and Mi’kmaw and other Indigenous students are disproportionately placed on IPPs. Disparities in the process can create barriers to a student’s success and affect their well-being and sense of belonging.

“I have always considered primary and secondary education to be the state's most powerful tool for colonialism,” explains Oguntona. “With public education, the state is able to shape the worldview of incoming generations through its iterations of history, social studies, English courses, etc. As a result, they can shape the minds and socio-economic determinants of the youth. Throughout its history, the Nova Scotia public education system has always tried to exclude African Nova Scotians from education. In today's context, IPPs are simply a different tool that continues a historical trend.”

The paper was originally written last semester for the Schulich Law course ‘LAWS 2251 - African Nova Scotians and the Law’, taught by Professor Michelle Williams, Co-Chair, Dalhousie University African Nova Scotian Strategy.

“I loved this course and highly recommend all Schulich Law students take it,” Oguntona says. “It’s incredibly powerful because it centers Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the Canadian context. It provided me with the space to engage with CRT on a personal level and consider the full implications of what it means to be Black in Nova Scotia from the perspective of a scholar.” 

She felt confident that the paper was one of the best she had ever written but before turning in the final draft, she asked two of her Schulich Law classmates to review it. When the WRLSI conference Call for Submissions was announced, her friends enthusiastically encouraged her to submit her work.

“Eni’s comprehensive research and critical analysis are indicative of the superb legal scholarship that our students are producing to address systemic anti-Black racism faced by African Nova Scotians,” says Williams. “It is a delight to work with her and others in the ‘African Nova Scotians and the Law’ course, which is part of Schulich Law’s expanding curricular offerings on African Nova Scotian legal realities and critical race theory.”

Oguntona shares that while she had never imagined herself presenting at a conference, she is equal parts excited and nervous about the experience. “I’m very much looking forward to having productive conversations and I hope people are open to listening and learning. I also hope that people can learn to substantively engage with CRT in a purely Canadian context, as well as learn how the law can be used in the future.”