Board selection for Kinomaadswin Education Body begins

Regional Education Council meeting in Garden River FN held Sept. 16-17:  Lisa Restoule, Patricia Campeau, Cindy Fisher, Darlene Monette, Mary Ann Giguere, Linda Peterson, Darlene Naponse, and Tracey O’Donnell.
Regional Education Council meeting in Garden River FN held Sept. 16-17: Lisa Restoule, Patricia Campeau, Cindy Fisher, Darlene Monette, Mary Ann Giguere, Linda Peterson, Darlene Naponse, and Tracey O’Donnell.

By Kelly Crawford

Two Regional Education Council (REC) meetings took place in the month of September; the REC #2 meeting took place on September 16-17 in Garden River First Nation and the REC #5 meeting took place on September 24-25 in Chippewas of Rama First Nation.

REC meetings are being held in all five REC regions with the goal of a formal selection of the Kinomaadswin Education Body (KEB) Board of Directors. Each First Nation, through its own selection process will choose two individuals to represent their own communities at the REC

Each of the five RECs will select two regional representatives from their REC to the Kinoomaadswin Education Body Board of Directors. Each REC will use the approved selection process to determine their KEB Board representatives.

In accordance with a Grand Council Resolution, the KEB was incorporated in January 2011 as a not-for-profit corporation owned and controlled by Anishinabek First Nations.  The first directors have been following the mandate from the Chiefs in Assembly to initiate the educational activities to support the First Nation exercise of jurisdiction over education on-reserve and the delivery of education programs and services by the First Nations.  This year the focus has been on supporting the First Nations in the process of selecting regional representatives to the KEB Board.

Supported by resolution #2013/02, which mandates the formal selection of the KEB Board of Directors, the interim KEB Board of Directors will oversee the approved selection process and report the names to the Anishinabek Chiefs in Assembly at the Grand Council Assembly, Fall 2013. Additionally, the KEB Board will oversee the implementation of the Strategic Plan to Establish the Anishinabek Education System which was approved through resolution #2013/01.

Regional Education Council (REC) meetings will be held in M’Chigeeng FN, October 21 – 22 and  Fort William FN, October 29 – 30.

For information on the Regional Education Councils contact Cindy Fisher at cfisher@picriver.com.