College of Education responding head-on to challenges identified by Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The College of Education responds to recommendations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan is directly responding to the call for post-secondary institutions to react and acknowledge the several recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC) report specific to education. The College of Education commends the TRC for fulfilling its mandate to tell the stories of First Nation People who suffered as a result of the horrific abuses experienced in Canada's residential schools. Like Survivor Archie Little, whose testimony was recorded by the Commissioners, the College of Education believes that as a country “we have to take responsibility for what happened. We have to work together” (TRC Summary Report, 2015, p. 9).

The College of Education has recently developed an Indigenous Languages Certificate, which will accept students for its Cree Language Program in September 2015, and is currently developing a Michif (Métis) Language Program to be launched in September 2016.

In addition, the College's undergraduate pre-service teacher education program and the specialized Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP)—funded entirely by the University of Saskatchewan since the loss of federal government support in 2014—respond directly to several of the TRC calls to action for the government of Canada, including:

  • educating teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms (TRC Call to Action 62);
  • establishing culturally appropriate curricula, and advancing education attainment levels and success rates (TRC Call to Action 10); and
  • identifying teacher-training needs related to Aboriginal education issues (TRC Call to Action 63).