New college in Northern Quebec offers culturally rooted education for Cree students

Vanna Blacksmith · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 10:23 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

A caller post-secondary institution, the Eeyou Istchee College of Science and Technology, has opened successful Northern Quebec, aiming to supply accessible acquisition for Cree students and moving professionals.

Located successful the Cree Nation of Chisasibi, this is the archetypal assemblage successful Eeyou Istchee to blend Cree connection and contented with occidental learning. Community members and unit gathered to observe its motorboat astatine the Mitchuap gathering connected June 16. 

"We blend successful the Cree cognition arsenic good arsenic the Western knowledge. Being capable to merge the champion of the 2 worlds for teaching, learning wrong our operational practices," said Carmen Scilia, the manager wide for the college.

The assemblage offers nonrecreational improvement programs tailored to big learners, on with courses that let students to accumulate credits toward different post-secondary institutions.

"What's truly important is that successful the program, the mode that we are going to beryllium delivering the programs, it is truly a two-eyed seeing approach," Scilia said.

For Shannon Fireman, Chisasibi's younker chief, the assemblage provides an accidental to prosecute higher acquisition without leaving the community, each portion reconnecting with Cree connection and identity.

"It's large that they're blending them together, due to the fact that immoderate of america are losing our language. They get to support up their classes and larn our language," Fireman said.

At the college's opening event, Fireman emphasized the value of section entree to acquisition and encouraged younker to proceed their studies.

The assemblage offers connection certificates successful English, French, and East Cree, including successful syllabics and oral connection courses.

"It'll unfastened up a batch of doors for them, for their future. Cree students usually spell to the South to prosecute their higher education, they look a batch of civilization daze and immoderate of them get homesick," Fireman added.

As a existent pupil successful the college's nonrecreational signifier certificate program, Fireman said the courses person supported her enactment relation and idiosyncratic growth.

She said courses successful accounting, managing lawsuit relations, and integer literacy person been particularly utile successful her duties arsenic younker chief.

The assemblage is besides focused connected supporting big learners who are already employed, offering flexible nonrecreational improvement programs. Scilia said astir 70 students are presently enrolled successful nonrecreational development. 

Looking ahead, the assemblage is moving toward securing a licence that would let its recognition courses to beryllium recognized by different institutions.

"The assemblage is really the college, we person classrooms, land-based learning, sports centres. So everything is already successful the community," Scilia explained.

While classes presently instrumentality spot online and astatine the Mitchwuap building, enlargement plans are underway. Renovations to make much learning spaces are acceptable to statesman successful September.

"What we're going to bash is we're going to leverage each of what exists successful bid to supply the education," said Scilia.

Financial accessibility is besides a priority. The assemblage plans to collaborate with backing partners to trim oregon destruct costs for students.

"We volition enactment with Cree School Board and different backing establishments to marque definite that we region fiscal barriers for students truthful they tin be classes without having to worry," said Scilia.