Long dreamed of, a first Aboriginal university center in Quebec took a step towards reality, Monday morning, when Laval University (UL) and the First Nations Education Center (FNEC) formalized their partnership to create a House of knowledge inspired by their values, their traditions and their languages.
This hub, designed by and for Indigenous peoples, is aiming big. It intends to develop an education specific to the First Nations with a teaching that draws on their millennial history.
“This House will accept my 10,000 years of DNA of knowledge,” said Senator Michèle Audette, referring to her mother’s Innu roots. Born to a Quebec father, she found that this “other half and its 500 years of history take up a lot of space” on school benches. ” [Nous avons vécu] 10,000 years without Canada Goose, she recalled. This means that we have known how to manage the fret for a long time! »
The pole remains, for the moment, embryonic. The business plan, the content of the programs, the operation of teaching and research: everything remains on the drawing board. The House promises to invent an original approach, carved out of respect for indigenous traditions and knowledge.
A financial model has yet to emerge and be submitted for the approval of Aboriginal leaders. The House of Knowledge, built in partnership with Laval University, promises to shine among First Nations throughout the territory.
“This is a major step towards the self-determination of the First Peoples in terms of education, underlines Cathia Bergeron, the vice-rector of studies and student affairs at the university. Today, we sow the first seed of a project that will become big. »
UL will play a “facilitator” role in the initiative led by the CEPN. The higher education institution in Quebec will share its expertise in administration, teaching and research to help the cluster emerge.
The Maison des savoirs will have a predominantly Aboriginal governance and will have the particular mission of increasing the diploma of First Nations in higher education cycles. Education, according to CEPN Director General Denis Gros-Louis, is one of the keys to their economic, social and cultural emancipation.
“We are here for academic success to train the next generation of teachers, the next generation of professionals who are going to ensure that in 10, 15 or 20 years, we are going to see that our economies have taken a different turn. In 1961, when Canada recognized First Nations citizenship and allowed us to go to school, a secondary V was worth a lot. Today, we have gone beyond that: going to CEGEP and university is no longer just a social policy. This is the future of our communities. »
Many obstacles still stand in the way of First Nations access to university studies. About 65% of students obtain a high school diploma, recalls Denis Gros-Louis. Among those who reach graduate school, attending a CEGEP or a university often imposes a cultural and geographical uprooting, often difficult because of family dynamics that are difficult to reconcile with studies. “We are fully aware that 40% of our students who reach graduate school already have two or even three children,” recalls Denis Gros-Louis. It can be difficult, in this context, to move to an urban centre. »
For the moment, Laval University welcomes “about 400 students” from First Nations, indicates the vice-rector, Cathia Bergeron. A number that the institution aims to double over the next few years.