Canadian Education News

McGill offers bachelor of education, debuts in Listuguj First Nation
According to CBC News, McGill University will offer a bachelor of education program in September. It will debut in the Listiguj First Nation and “taught by community members with master’s degrees and doctorates.”

There have 25 students chosen out of 41 applicants, who are “all Mi’kmaq students from Listuguj, Eel River Bar, and Gesgapegiag First Nations.” The CBC news reports states many applicants hope to teach at the Listiguj school, Alaqsite’w Gitpu.

Darcy Gray, Listiguj Chief, said, “?it’s being offered here in Listuguj?taught primarily by our people and?you’re going to see so much incorporation of our traditions, our culture, our history, our ways of learning traditional knowledge?”

Residential schools’ legacy some indigenous peoples’ trust towards Canadian education, study
According to Vancouver Metro News, a new study indicates that some indigenous people are “wary and fearful” of the Canadian educational system based on the “legacy of residential schools.” The study was published in the August, 2016 issue of Canadian Review of Sociology.

That “distrust” of the Canadian educational system can make parents “less engaged with teachers and could hurt children’s education.” The study was based on dozens of interviews with mostly indigenous educators and parents from southern Ontario.

Emily Milne, Assistant Professor of Sociology at MacEwan University and the researcher, explained almost all indigenous participant in the study was affected by the Residential school system. Milne said, “There was a bit less trust there with schools because of this history.”

University of Calgary school of medicine earns accreditation
University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) has received accreditation from the Association of Faculties of Medicine in Canada. The accreditation system is common to “all North American medical schools” and is not easy. Of the 17 Canadian medical schools, 4 failed to achieve accreditation from this common system.

CSM has maintained that coveted status since its inception as a medical school in 1970. Once again, it is an accredited medical school for another 8 years based on the recent accreditation. According to Dr. Jon Meddings, Dean of Medicine, that 8-year term is the “best possible result.”

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is an AUSU Councillor. He works with various organizations, and runs In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, and In-Sight Publishing.