In Budget 2010, the Government of Canada announced new funding to support an implementation-ready tripartite K-12 education agreement to ensure First Nation students benefit from comparable education whether their school is located on or off reserve.
On December 10, 2010, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development announced that this new investment would be targeted to First Nations in British Columbia based on the advanced state of the education partnership in the province.
Following that announcement, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC), the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), and the BC Ministry of Education negotiated the Tripartite Education Framework Agreement.
The Tripartite Education Framework Agreement identifies the roles, responsibilities and commitments of each signing partner.
The agreement:
- outlines the standards, programs, services and school supports which address the unique needs of First Nation students;
- supports the delivery of quality education programs and services meeting standards that allow First Nation students to transfer without academic penalty, at similar levels of achievement, between First Nation schools and provincial schools;
- recognizes FNESC and First Nations have worked to establish an education system to support First Nation students and schools that reflects the values and traditions of the communities they serve;
- recognizes FNESC has demonstrated the capacity to administer education programs and second level services on behalf of First Nations and First Nation schools in BC;
- is supported by a new funding model for participating BC First Nations that will fund First Nation schools on reserve in the same way as similarly sized and situated BC public schools.
The Government of Canada will provide an additional $15 million annually to support BC First Nation schools and programs, including ongoing support for FNESC, which has committed to offer second-level services which will include some of the services offered by school boards in the provincial system.
The Government of British Columbia has committed to work with FNESC to develop and implement a process to issuing graduation certificates to students in First Nation on reserve schools. BC also agrees to consult with FNESC regarding any proposed changes in provincial education policy.
The agreement recognizes the ongoing commitment of signing partners to work together to improve the educational outcomes and graduation rates of First Nation students.
The First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) is an independent society which works in support of First Nations education in BC. Established in May 1992, FNESC is led by representatives of 88 First Nations across the province and provides administrative services for the First Nation Schools Association, and other partner organizations.
