The UBC Faculty of Education’s Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NITEP) is launching a new Field Centre in Lax Kw’alaams, Northern British Columbia. This expansion (one of NITEP’s largest to date) will allow Indigenous students from Lax Kw’alaams, Metlakatla, and Kitkatla to complete UBC’s full Bachelor of Education program, including a 21-credit Indigenous Education specialization, without leaving their communities.
The Centre will play a vital role in addressing the shortage of Indigenous teachers in Prince Rupert’s School District 52, where approximately 62% of students are Indigenous. The project is community-driven with leadership from local education advocates, and aims to train 40 Indigenous teachers over four years, helping create culturally responsive classrooms in Prince Rupert and surrounding areas.
“Increasing the number of Indigenous teachers is an absolutely critical step in the pursuit of reconciliation in Canada. This is especially true in northern and rural communities that have large Indigenous populations and school systems that have few Indigenous teachers and difficulties staffing any teaching position.”
— Dr. Dustin Louie – NITEP Director – Associate Professor – Nee Tahi Buhn Band Member
The new Field Centre is supported by the Rideau Hall Foundation’s Indigenous Teacher Education (ITE) Initiative, through its Reinforce Stream, which provides funding for long-term, Indigenous-led teacher education expansion. This initiative advances NITEP’s goal to make teaching pathways more accessible and sustainable for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis educators across Canada.
To learn more, please visit the official announcement page.
