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First Nation School Board receives Yukon government funding

Yukon government has approved $35 million funding for First Nation School Board
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Education Minister Jeanie McLean gifts a symbolic glass feather to First Nation School Board executive director Melissa Flynn, St. Elias Community School prinicpal Maggie Mann and a student of the school to show the government’s support of the new First Nation School Board. (Submitted/Alistair Maitland)

The Yukon government has approved a $35 million funding agreement for the First Nation School Board.

According to an April 3 release, the funding, which runs over a 15-month period, will be used for operations, maintenance and development of language and cultural education programs, according to a joint statement from the Yukon government and First Nation School Board.

“The agreement includes funding for not only operations and maintenance of First Nation School Board schools, but also for the establishment of school board organizational capacity and for the development of Yukon First Nations language and culture curricula and educational programs that will benefit all schools operated by the Department of Education,” reads the statement.

The statement added that the funding will help address commitments outlined in the framework agreement with the Chiefs Committee on Education, the joint education action plan and recommendations from the 2019 auditor general of Canada’s report to improve education outcomes for Indigenous and rural students and implement changes that incorporate Yukon First Nations culture and languages in the territory’s education system.

“Schools operating within the First Nation School Board are committed to an inclusive, student-centred model, delivering the British Columbia curriculum through a Yukon First Nations worldview, often incorporating land-based learning, family and Elder engagement and increased instruction in the local First Nation languages,” it reads.

First Nation School Board chair Dana Tizya-Tramm said the funding will ensure that “all students in our schools are provided an enriched learning environment that incorporates localized and Yukon First Nations worldview and sets them up for success in life.”

He added the funding will strengthen the partnership between Yukon government and the First Nation School Board with respect to education in the territory.

Education Minister Jeanie McLean said the agreement represents the government’s commitment to reconciliation and the belief that every child in the territory deserves access to an education that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusivity.

“It is another historic step for our government as, together with our partners, we continue writing a new chapter on education in the Yukon and building a brighter future for the territory,” she said.

The First Nation School Board currently operates eight schools in the territory. Three additional schools will join the board in the 2023-2024 school year.

Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com



Patrick Egwu

About the Author: Patrick Egwu

I’m one of the newest additions at Yukon News where I have been writing about a range of issues — politics, sports, health, environment and other developments in the territory.
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