Indigenous institutes’ post-secondary education is on the brink of collapse.
That according to the Indigenous Institutes Consortium (ICC) of seven Indigenous post-secondary schools, including Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig in Sault Ste. Marie and Kenjgewin Teg on Manitoulin Island.
The consortium says the province’s recent three-year, $1.3 billion funding announcement prioritizes the funding of mainstream post-secondary schools while ignoring the urgent needs of Indigenous Institutes.
Officials are calling on the government to provide stable, equitable and long-term funding of Indigenous Institutes.
They say severe underfunding is hindering educational access, impeding the economic prosperity of Indigenous communities, and restricting Indigenous peoples from contributing to Ontario’s economy.