Groundbreaking Indigenous Education Quality Assurance News in Ontario

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory – Historic progress for Indigenous postsecondary education was celebrated on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, as the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC) unveiled the quality assurance standards and benchmarks for Bachelor and Bachelors with Honours degrees.

“The advancements being made in Ontario are unique in the world,” said Laurie Robinson, IAESC’s board chairwoman and executive director. “The vision of Indigenous Institutes is coming to reality as they develop and deliver vital postsecondary education and training grounded in Indigenous knowledge, language and worldviews.”

To mark the occasion and share how important this key step will be for Ontario’s economic recovery and longterm growth, IAESC hosted a live online event to make the special announcement. In attendance were leadership from Indigenous Institutes, IAESC Board Directors, and members from Indigenous communities from across the province.

Special Guests gather online at the Special Announcement in Quality Assurance in Ontario on March 23, 2021
hosted by the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council.

Speakers at the event included The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Yvonne Boyer, Senator, Senate of Canada, and Deputy Minister Shelley Tapp with the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

As part of the groundbreaking news, IAESC has created an online infrastructure for Indigenous Institutes to proceed through the quality assurance reviews as part of the organization’s progressive digital evolution. The organization has also put an expansive decentralized workplace model in place for staff, allowing it to attract top professionals to achieve its short and long-term goals.

“Indigenous Institutes, IAESC, and Ontario are leading the way in postsecondary education and training,” Robinson said, crediting the organization’s team, Indigenous experts, and the recommendations of the Indigenous Institutes Quality Assessment Board Members for the hard work supporting these recent achievements.

“For the first time in Canada, Indigenous Institutes have the opportunity to offer their own standalone programs to Indigenous learners and the communities that they serve – this is worth celebrating,” Robinson said.

For further questions please contact Emmanuel Dowuona, Communications Lead, at emmanuel.dowuona@iaesc.ca.

A recording of the event can be viewed in the video player below: