Alberta’s government plans to spend $6 million dollars over the next two years to help establish a new program that will bring Indigenous language education into classrooms across the province.
“We know that two thirds of Indigenous languages spoken in Canada are at risk, but I can say as well language can live and breathe and grow again if we nurture it,” said Alberta’s Minister of Education David Eggen. “This program will be the first in Canada focused on increasing Indigenous language teacher capacity and expanding resources development for kindergarten to Grade 12 of all Indigenous languages.”
The grant program will provide funding through two streams. The instructor development stream will provide $4 million in funding over two years to First Nations colleges and universities and Indigenous organizations that have a primary mandate to train early childhood education and kindergarten to Grade 12 language instructors in Indigenous languages.
The second stream – the resource development stream – will provide $2 million over two years to organizations that have expertise in developing Indigenous language resources. This will include First Nations and Métis communities, Indigenous organizations and provincial school jurisdictions and post-secondary institutions that partner with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and organizations.
The deadline for organizations to apply for the funding was Dec. 18, 2018.
