OHSWEKEN – Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP) welcomed the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development and Deputy Premier to the school on January 24.
“Our government has made a clear commitment to increase our efforts to help indigenous learners get the education and training they need,” said Matthews. “Six Nations Polytechnic has created a unique environment that is grounded in indigenous culture, community, language, research, and academic quality. I’d like to thank the leadership team, faculty, teaching staff and students for their dedication.”
Matthews was joined by MPP Speaker Dave Levac and Six Nations Elected Chief Ava Hill to learn more about SNP and what the school has to offer, not only for indigenous students, but to the surrounding communities as well.
“On behalf of the Six Nations Elected Council, I would like to welcome Minister Matthews and MPP Levac to our community,” said Hill. “The Six Nations Elected Council is proud of the work taking place at SNP and hopes that this visit will enhance the strong relationship that we already have with Ontario.”
This was Matthews’ first visit to an aboriginal Institute and she was interested to see firsthand how SNP incorporates indigenous cultural practices into the learning experience. During her visit, Matthews met with President and CEO of SNP Rebecca Jamieson and other members of the leadership team at SNP to discuss the future of indigenous education. The minister also met with a group of students, faculty and teaching staff, including Ogwehoweh (Mohawk and Cayuga) language instructors.
“Six Nations Polytechnic is pleased to welcome Minister Matthews and MPP Levac to our school,” said Jamieson. “At SNP we strive to create an open and inclusive learning environment for all learners and look forward to working with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development in the future.”
