MB First Nations schools adapt to help students catch up on missed time due to pandemic

First Nations in Manitoba that had to cancel school during the last school year are adapting to help students catch up and return to school. Several schools faced extenuating circumstances and were not able to complete the previous year: Kisemattawa Kiskinwahamakew Kamik School was shut down after a COVID-19 outbreak in the community, and Shamattawa First Nation Chief Eric Redhead said that students were unable to learn virtually because of the lack of internet connection and devices. Three schools at Cross Lake Cree Nation had a shutdown in the last school year, and students fell behind because there was no reliable internet or in-class learning. Students from the schools will use a dual curriculum plan for 2021-22 in which they will repeat the previous grade’s curriculum in the first part of the year before going on to the current grade’s curriculum in the latter part of the year. Garden Hill First Nation’s education department is discussing whether to go ahead with plans that were made in May to hold students back due to the pandemic’s impact on their learning. CBC (MB)