New education program to boost number of Black teachers in Nova Scotia
Acadia University program to start this fall for African Nova Scotian student-support workers
A new education program set to start Acadia University this fall will create more opportunities to increase the number of African Nova Scotian teachers in schools.
The Wolfville, N.S., university has partnered with the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute to introduce the Africentric bachelor of education program.
It will be targeted to African Nova Scotian student-support workers who already work in Nova Scotia schools and want to upgrade their skills to teach.
Késa Munroe-Anderson, an associate professor in the education department at Acadia, said the new program will help address systemic barriers.
She said it will also address gaps in representation and access within the education sector "that have historically faced African Nova Scotia learners in this province."
"It is a social justice approach that will allow for us to unapologetically centre the knowledge, the perspectives of cultures, the histories, lived experiences [and] world views of people of African descent through this program," Munroe-Anderson told CBC Radio's Information Morning Halifax on Friday.
The first 25 students will start this September. There will be funding support from the provincial government.
Sylvia Parris-Drummond, the CEO of the Daye institute, said there has already been interest in the program.
She said the institute has been working to increase representation in Nova Scotia schools through its Africentric master of education in counselling cohort at Acadia, but more needs to be done to speed up the process.
"We know that we need more teachers in the system broadly and we know that we need teachers who identify as Black, African Nova Scotian, African descent," Parris-Drummond told Information Morning.
She said as a non-profit organization, the institute will offer support for tuition and books. It will also co-ordinate gatherings for meals and sharing circles, and provide support to those who need help navigating the program.
Munroe-Anderson said the new program will have the same entry qualifications as the school's bachelor of education program, but it will only be open to African Nova Scotian support workers.
"We are interested in the knowledge and the experience that these folks have already demonstrated in their work day-to-day in the school system in Nova Scotia as it relates to African Nova Scotian learners, African Nova Scotian communities," she said.
Munroe-Anderson said the program will work with the regional centres for education to ensure there are spots available for graduates of the program.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
With files from CBC Radio's Information Morning Halifax
