The University of Waterloo in Ontario waives tuition fees for students from two First Nations who are within the traditional territory where the school is located.
The university said the new waiver will apply beginning in September to current and future full-time undergraduate or graduate students who are members of the Six Nations Reserve and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
The university said it will also offer Ontario national tuition rates to Indigenous students from elsewhere in Canada and the United States, and will continue to waive application fees for applicants. First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
University President Vivek Goel said the new initiative was part of the institution’s reconciliation efforts.
The tuition waiver will reduce the barriers faced by First Nations students and enable them to pursue post-secondary education at university, he continued.
“This announcement is part of (the University of) Waterloo’s efforts towards indigenization, decolonization and reconciliation, which are at the heart of the values that guide us as a higher education institution,” Mr. Goel wrote in a statement.
“We hope that by reducing financial barriers for these students, we will encourage them to participate in our innovative education, entrepreneurship and work-study programs. »
The university held a ceremony last fall to recognize that Indigenous peoples continue to experience cultural loss and disconnection in Canada due to colonialism.
The university is committed to working towards a better understanding of Indigenous history and the intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism and the systems that grew out of it, including the residential school system.
“This historic decision to increase access to education is a direct response to the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its calls for action,” said Jean Becker, associate vice-president of the Indigenous Relations at the University of Waterloo.
“I hope this demonstrated leadership will inspire other post-secondary institutions to take similar action. »