Under the framework of Native control of education, Chapel Island First Nation has established the Potlotek School Board.  The elected board, formed within the guidelines established in consultation with Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey, is politically independent from the Band Council and will focus on delivering quality educational opportunities to the children.

The new Community Access Program (CAP) site will allow residents to drop in and use the internet and computers for research, school papers, and life long learning opportunities.  It will be open seven days a week.

The CAP site and school board offices are both located in the newly renovated old Mi’kmawey school.

Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey led the effort to obtain day care services for Mi’kmaw communities and then coordinated training programs for staffing. Twelve day care centres or after-school programs were formed including ones in Acadia, Afton, Annapolis Valley, Bear River, Chapel Island, Eskasoni, Membertou, Millbrook, Pictou Landing, Indian Brook, Wagmatcook, and Waycobah.

Mi’kmaq Employment Training Secretariat has now assumed administrative support of the centres.

In June 1998 the Assembly of First Nations received a mandate from First Nations in Canada to do a review of Post Secondary Education in Canada.The purpose of this study was to look at how P.S.E. programs are funded, associated policies, and their impact.  The basic premise is that P.S.E. is inadequately funded by DIAND and, as a consequence, communities are unable to fund all its eligible  students at inadequate levels.

Phase I “A National Literature Review” was completed in March 1999 and Phase II was initiated in September 1999.  The research will identify gaps in First Nation educational needs. The final report will include recommendations for an appropriate and secure system that meets the post secondary needs of First Nations.  Chignecto Consulting Group Inc. is involved in Phase II and Joanne Sylliboy is the contact. The work is scheduled for completion by March 31, 2000.

In September 1999, the Tripartite Education Committee initiated a study of P.S.E. in Nova Scotia.  The committee identified a need to conduct comprehensive research on Native post secondary education programs, policies and relationships to community and how to access them.  The purpose of this research is two fold.  First, it is to find out what type of model (s) would be feasible to implement in Nova Scotia which will address the needs of the Mi’kmaw community at the post secondary level.  Secondly, the research will provide the committee with the information needed to determine the feasibility of the creation of a Mi’kmaw Studies chair in Nova Scotia.

Cathy Martin was chosen by the Education Tripartite Committee to undertake this study with Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey acting as the financial administrator. The project is divided into two phases with work on Phase I set for completion by mid-March, 2000.