GDI is a Saskatchewan-based educational, employment and cultural institute serving Métis across the province
Sep 6, 2019
Posted in: Uncategorized
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday September 5, 2019
Air Ronge, Saskatchewan, September 5, 2019 – A new Indigenous teacher education program rooted in Indigenous cultures and languages, and land-based pedagogy has been created in a
partnership between The University of Regina Faculty of Education, Gabriel Dumont Institute, and Lac La Ronge Indian Band. The four-year Bachelor of Education – Northern Saskatchewan
Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NSITEP) is aimed at addressing the need for more teachers, especially Indigenous teachers in Northern Saskatchewan and across the province.
In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRU) Report Call for Action, NSITEP will focus on Indigenous worldviews and will prepare a new generation of Indigenous teachers
equipped to build on the strengths of Métis, First Nations, and Inuit students, families, and communities, while also addressing their unique needs. The program will be delivered by Gabriel
Dumont Institute in collaboration with the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) in La Ronge.
“The new Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NSITEP) developed and offered in partnership with the Gabriel Dumont Institute and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band
and located on the territory of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band demonstrates how the Faculty of Education and the University of Regina are committed to more fully realizing their relational
obligation to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. The NSITEP recognizes the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples, places a premium on learning within community, and is an attempt to better
balance the typically asymmetrical relationships that have historically existed,” said Dr. Jerome Cranston, Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Regina.
“Gabriel Dumont Institute is very pleased to be a part of this important initiative to expand educational opportunities in the North. The Institute has been offering teacher education
programs over the past four decades through the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP) in partnership with the University of Regina and the University of
Saskatchewan. NSITEP is another important step in continuing our mandate of training Indigenous teachers,” said Dr. Earl Cook, Métis Nation–Saskatchewan Education Minister and
Chair of the Gabriel Dumont Institute Board of Governors.
“Effective teachers have a huge positive impact on the lives of our young people. Indigenous students are more empowered when they see themselves reflected in the curriculum, study
resources, and in their teachers and school administrators; and all students are better off when diversity is embraced in schools,” said LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson.
The first cohort of 26 Métis and First Nations students have been accepted into the NSITEP program and will be starting their studies this week. Métis individuals who have any questions
regarding enrolment may contact Morris Cook at morris.cook@gdi.gdins.org; while questions on First Nations and Inuit student enrolment should be directed to Simon Bird at Simon.Bird@llribedu.ca.
For more information and for media inquiries, please contact:
Geordy McCaffrey
Executive Director
Gabriel Dumont Institute
Phone: 306-657-2231
geordy.mccaffrey@gdi.gdins.org
Simon Bird
Director of Education
Lac La Ronge Indian Band
Phone: 306-425-2183
Simon.Bird@llribedu.ca
Dr. Jerome Cranston, Dean
Faculty of Education
University of Regina
Phone: 306-585-4500
Jerome.Cranston@uregina.ca
Gabriel Dumont Institute is a Métis-owned post-secondary and cultural institution in Saskatchewan. It is the parent company to a number of subsidiaries, including the Dumont
Technical Institute, Gabriel Dumont College, GDI Training and Employment, the Métis Culture and Heritage Department, Gabriel Dumont Institute Press, and the Saskatchewan Urban Native
Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP).
Lac La Ronge Indian Band is the largest First Nation in Saskatchewan, and one of the 10 largest in Canada, with a population of over 11,000 people. It is located in north-central Saskatchewan
with a central administration office in La Ronge. LLRIB has been offering education for its members over the past several decades.
The University of Regina—with campuses located on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 territories, the ancestral lands of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Lakota and Nakoda nations and the homeland of
the Métis—is a comprehensive, mid-sized university that traces its roots back to the creation of Regina College in 1911. Today, more than 15,000 students study within the University’s 10
faculties, 25 academic departments/schools, 18 research centres and institutes, and three federated colleges (Campion College, First Nations University of Canada, and Luther College).
GDI is a Saskatchewan-based educational, employment and cultural institute serving Métis across the province
