Plan to set up innovative Indigenous university centre

Representatives of the First Nations Education Council (FNEC) and Université Laval signed an agreement on Monday 12 December to start planning what they say will be Quebec’s first Indigenous educational hub, writes Rachel Watts for CBC News.

The FNEC announced it is drafting a business plan for an initiative called “Maison des savoirs” – an Indigenous university centre which will be created by and for Indigenous peoples. “This is a very important moment for me,” said Innu elder Élisabeth Ashini, who said an opening prayer at the event. “I know that elders of my generation, if they were here, they would be very happy.”

Following the lead of other university campuses, such as the University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia, FNEC, in collaboration with Université Laval, plans on offering its own holistic approach to education for Indigenous students. Although the project is still in the planning stages, Denis Gros-Louis, director general of the FNEC, says it will involve three key elements: building a dedicated pavilion, offering courses on language and culture and building an elders’ lodge.
Full report on the CBC News site