(Quebec) It is through education that Quebec intends to make great strides in bringing the First Nations closer to the general population.
The Ministers of Education and Indigenous Affairs, Jean-François Roberge and Ian Lafrenière, were on Tuesday at the Kiuna Institute in Odanak, in Center-du-Québec, to announce a series of measures aimed at better integrating young people Aboriginals in the education network and to better inform young Quebecers about the reality of First Nations.
Minister Roberge believes that this approach will both improve academic success and the social climate in Quebec. The choice of the Kiuna Institute was also highly symbolic since it is the only indigenous CEGEP in the province and is frequented by both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals.
Quebec is thus announcing an envelope of just under 20 million which will be invested in three areas.
Materials, support and program review
The first aims to create new educational material that will integrate Aboriginal realities so that they are better known by young people.
The second is intended to offer support to young Aboriginals studying in the public school system. Almost half of the members of the First Nations live outside the Aboriginal communities and the objective is to add professional services adapted to Aboriginal cultures and training for teachers to the schools of the public network in order to support the success of students from these communities.
The third component consists of a long-term measure, namely to integrate an Aboriginal perspective into the review of all programs. Jean-François Roberge argued that most of the study programs date from the early 2000s, “before the great realization that we have made in recent years”, according to the Minister’s expression.