A first-of-its-kind Métis Education Agreement in Canada for kindergarten to Grade 12 students has been developed in the Greater Victoria School District.
There are 357 students in the district who identify as Métis.
The three-part agreement, which aims to ensure that culturally relevant education and early-learning programs are being provided to Métis students and families, involves the district, Métis Nation Greater Victoria and Métis Nation British Columbia.
The agreement was developed over the past year by elders, community members and district staff.
Métis Nation Greater Victoria is one of the “four houses” supporting Indigenous education in the district, along with the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations and the Urban Peoples House Indigenous Advisory.
Education agreements are already in place with the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations.
Métis Nation Greater Victoria president Caitlin Bird said that while Métis culture and needs may be distinct from the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations, they all share an understanding “of placing our children at the centre of the work that we do.”
Debra Fisher, Métis Nation British Columbia’s minister of education, said she hopes the agreement will inspire others across the province and elsewhere “to come together and challenge the status quo to create more equitable systems and brighter futures for our Métis people.”
The Cowichan Valley School District is holding an event Wednesday to recognize the inauguration of the Board All-Nations Indigenous Education Council, a group designed to work within the education system on behalf of all Indigenous students.
Education agreements and memorandums of understanding with First Nations in the district will be signed, as well.
