NAN signs education partnership with Ontario, Canada

Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) has signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work with Ontario and Canada on improving education outcomes for NAN students.
The agreement, signed during the Spring Chiefs Assembly in Mattagami First Nation on Apirl 9, intends to help support NAN students attending school at both First Nation and provincial schools.
“This MOU recognizes the authority and autonomy of NAN First Nations and reflects the original spirit and intent of the Treaties, which is Indian control of Indian education,” said NAN Grand Chief Harvey Yesno in a press release. “By working collaboratively we will be better able to prepare our students with the self-confidence and educational opportunities they need to reach their educational goals and achieve their full potential.”
The MOU lays out five areas on which NAN will work with the federal and provincial governments on education.
The list of priority areas includes improving student support services for students living away from home, integrating First Nation culture, history, perspective and languages into school curriculum, and increasing the number of First Nation staff and Elders in provincial schools.
It also promises to explore ways of increasing First Nation involvement in provincial schools and advisory bodies, and look at new organizational options for delivering second level services to First Nation schools.
Similar tri-partite agreements have been signed in Alberta, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Quebec, among other regions. This is the first such agreement in Ontario.
Federal minister of Aboriginal Affairs, Bernard Valcourt, said the agreement is an example of how governments and First Nations can work together successfully.
“These agreements reflect the perspectives and concerns of the communities they serve, which is vital if we are to succeed in creating education systems that truly meet the needs of First Nation students,” Valcourt said.
The minister also used his speech to suggest that NAN leaders participate in the consultation on development of a First Nations Education Act.
“It is important that members of the Nishnawbe Aski First Nations participate in the upcoming consultations so that the experience of developing the agreement can be shared with other interested parties,” Valcourt said.
But NAN issued a statement later on the same day stating that NAN “unequivocally” remains firmly opposed to the development and enactment of a First Nations Education Act, despite the signing of the MOU with Canada and Ontario.
“The signing of this historic MOU in no way detracts from our steadfast opposition to any federal legislation with respect to First Nations education,” said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Goyce Kakegamic. “We need education, not legislation, through fair and adequate funding that will ensure that First Nation students receive quality education on par with students across Canada.”
Students attending schools on reserves receive about $2,000 less in funding per year than their peers at provincial run schools.
In 2004 Canada’s Auditor General concluded it would take 28 years to close the education gap between First Nations on-reserve and the rest of Canada.
“The government of Canada continues to shortchange students on-reserve compared to their provincial counterparts,” Kakegamic said. “Our young people are systematically denied their Treaty right to a quality education.”
NAN also stated it supported the education rally held in Thunder Bay on April 11, which protested outside a consultation session held for the education act.