Sask college signs education agreement with local Indigenous communities
- Fraser Needham | October 09, 2015
A college in northeastern Saskatchewan is moving ahead with plans to make its campuses more Indigenous friendly.
Cumberland College has campuses in Melfort, Nipawin and Tisdale.
Last month, the college formally signed an Indigenous Educational Protocol agreement with a number of local First Nations and Métis communities in the region.
The protocol agreement is based on the Colleges and Institutes Canada agreement that was signed with the Assembly of First Nations and other Aboriginal organizations in December 2014.
The CICan agreement seeks to address the learning needs of Aboriginal people and support self-determination and socio-economic development of Indigenous communities.
Some of its principles include implementing intellectual and cultural traditions of Indigenous people in the curriculum and a commitment to increase the number of Aboriginal employees.
Cumberland College President Tom Weeger pioneered the North East Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Advisory Council shortly after he began employment at the college in 2013.
He says the formal signing of the education protocol is just one step in a process that has been ongoing over the past few years.
“It was really about us sitting down and honouring the fact that we are embarking on this significant and historic partnership to better work together and better incorporate Aboriginal and Indigenous perspectives and world views and that sort of thing,” Weeger says.
Front row left to right June Draude, MLA, Kelvington-Wadena, Darlene McKay, Director, Métis Nation, Western Region II, Councilor Theda Lathlin Education Portfolio, Shoal Lake Cree Nation, Helene Johnson, Director, Métis Nation, Eastern Region II and Nadine Wilson, MLA Saskatchewan Rivers.
The Cumberland College President says the institution has worked hard in recent years to make its campuses more Indigenous friendly and incorporate Aboriginal culture into the curriculum.
He also says the college is currently looking closely at a number of its programs to see how it may improve Aboriginal student retention and success.
However, there is always more to be done.
“I would love to implement an elder in residence kind of program where we would have an elder available for some days of the week to meet with students, and faculty for that matter, and talk about issues of relevance to Aboriginal learners,” he says.
The James Smith Cree Nation is one of the signatories to the educational protocol agreement.
Chief Justin Burns says one of the things Cumberland College is doing that suits the needs of Indigenous students is offering more and more university level programs through the college’s campuses.
For example, Cumberland’s Nipawin campus, in conjunction with the University of Regina, now offers a Bachelor of Education program so students that want to become teachers can remain close to their home communities.
“This way they’re closer to home and they don’t have that far to travel so this way they can finish their studies and have a support structure right there,” Burns says.