Dear Editor
Imagine you are a First Nation student in Black Lake and an aspiring engineer. In a landmark education report, the Prince Albert Grand Council identified two geographic barriers for you; staffing, your school usually hires generalists, and class size, your school cannot offer a class for one.
PAGC not only identified these barriers, it created Credenda Virtual High School to overcome the tyranny of geography. Research revealed asynchronous online schools had low success rates. However, leading edge synchronous schools, where students and teachers were together in real time, had high success rates. Since 2005, Credenda has offered First Nations and non-First Nations students the credits needed to graduate and enter professional degree programs.
Currently I'm teaching Biology 30 from Africa in real time. Why am I here? Namibia is committed to improving its early learning outcomes and I am here to help a college put its early learning certificate online using the Credenda developed learning template.
Sadly, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada declared Credenda and other online schools across Canada as services, not schools, disqualifying all from direct funding. Effectively AANDC is slamming closed a door that provides equitable access. While I am sickened at the thought that learning will be less equitable, I am appalled at the waste of wisdom, experience and infrastructure that the loss of Credenda represents.
Inevitably, if learning is to be equitable, Credenda will be reinvented but at what cost to us? Help keep this door to learning open. Lobby your MP.
Nancy Carswell
(Shellbrook)
Windhoek, Namibia
