A new education agreement will allow the James Smith Cree Nation to more easily organize and access funding. Students attending the Bernard Constant Community School in the James Smith Community will benefit from the increased funding and better-defined education goals.
The agreement was signed on Thursday, May 25th. The Education Services Agreement consists of three separate agreements signed between the East Central First Nations Education Partnership and Indigenous Services Canada, the North East School Division (NESD) and the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division (SRPSD).
During the signing, Stacy Lair, director of education for the North East School Division, said, “We are proud to mark a significant milestone for our organization. It represents a partnership where we can find equitable ways to support families and strengthen our ability to decolonize.”
Under the agreement, the First Nation maintains its treaty right to education, but it will enter into a partnership with Indigenous Services Canada and the two adjacent school divisions.
The agreement will not change things drastically for the students but allows the school organization to improve the quality of education while still staying rooted in Cree culture, customs and traditions. Through the extra funding, the school was able to offer a new land-based learning program.
“During this program, our students come into contact with cultural aspects. They go fishing, hunting, snaring, learn to set up a tipi and its cultural place. All things that are relevant to our situation here at the First Nation,” said Randy Constant, the director of education for the East Central First Nations Education Partnership.
Constant is very happy about the agreement as, according to him, it will improve accountability and education quality for everyone.
“We can now start developing standards. This is very important for us as an emerging First Nations entity. We need to be able to measure our success and adjust if we don’t meet our own standards. We will develop standards for land-based learning, cultural teachings, language acquisition, early years learning and an IT plan,” Constant said.
He hopes the new funding and partnerships will help revitalize the school of 384 students on the First Nation.
“The onus is on us, the organization, to provide results. We need to address attendance rates and transportation plan, credit attainment and graduation rates, and reinvigorate our special education service program.
“With the new agreement, we intend to find success in all these areas.”
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