Collective Jurisdiction

First Nations Education Authority

Key areas of jurisdiction have been collaboratively developed by First Nations, and will be jointly exercised and regulated by Participating First Nations through FNEA. These areas are:

  • Certification and Regulation of Teachers
  • Certification of Participating First Nation Schools
  • Graduation Certificates
  • Evaluation of Courses Required to Graduate

The FNEA Board approved FNEA Rules for each of the collective areas of jurisdiction.

FNEA Rules for the Certification and Regulation of Teachers (April 19, 2023)
FNEA Rules for the Certification of Participating First Nation Schools (December 12, 2022)
FNEA Rules Regarding Graduation Certificates (December 12, 2022)
FNEA Rules Regarding Courses Required to Graduate from a PFN School (December 12, 2022)

For more information about each of these areas, please click below.

FNEA is responsible for providing a teacher certification process for teachers who work in schools operated by a Participating First Nation (PFN) on First Nations land, other than teachers who only teach the language and culture of the PFN.

The FNEA teaching certification process was developed through extensive consultations over many years with First Nations representatives through numerous advisory committees and focus groups, as well as with the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care and other partners. First Nations representatives identified a need to provide a teacher certification and regulation process specifically designed for individuals who do not meet other provincial teaching certificate requirements but who can demonstrate sufficient teaching skills and who bring other experiences and knowledge that are important for PFN schools and their students.

Under the FNEA teacher certification rules, FNEA certified teachers must demonstrate reasonable competence in accordance with the Performance Standards for Teachers in Participating First Nations Schools, which describe a set of ideals for exemplary practice and are intended to support teachers in PFN schools to provide the highest quality of education for their students. The FNEA teaching certification process is designed to allow new teachers to enhance the strengths they already have and increase their skills and abilities on the job, with ongoing support and professional development.

The FNEA teaching certification process is optional for PFNs. PFNs can decide whether or not they want to hire FNEA-certified teachers as well as set additional employment requirements for their schools and for specific teaching positions. Individuals cannot apply for a FNEA teaching certificate without first obtaining support from a PFN School Governing Authority that confirms it intends to hire the applicant to work as a teacher in its PFN school.

As a professional regulatory body, FNEA is responsible for:

  • receiving applications from qualified applicants;
  • issuing teacher certifications;
  • receiving and investigating complaints, if they arise; and
  • in the event they are necessary, imposing disciplinary sanctions.

The FNEA teacher certification rules set out how FNEA will carry out these functions. These same functions are carried out by the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care Teacher Regulation Branch for teachers who are certified by the Ministry.

Complementary Teacher Certification Processes

The FNEA teacher certification process is intended to be complementary to the existing BC teacher certification process.

  • For grades K5 – 12, FNEA will recognize:
    • a teaching certificate issued by the BC Ministry of Education (including a Certificate of Qualification, Letter of Permission, and Independent School Teaching Certificate); or
    • a teaching certificate issued by another Canadian province.
  • For K4, FNEA will recognize a certified teacher or an ECE

Teachers who are already certified will not go through a new certification process under the jurisdiction initiative. The exception is that PFN schools that wish to qualify for Reciprocal Tuition must employ only teachers who are certified by the BC Ministry of Education to teach the BC Curriculum or teachers who hold a FNEA Teaching Certificate.

FNEA Teacher Certification Resources

FNEA is responsible for providing a process for certifying schools that are operated by or on behalf of a Participating First Nation (PFN) on reserve land.

The FNEA Rules for the Certification of Participating First Nation Schools address FNEA’s responsibility to provide a school certification process for PFNs. These rules adopt the First Nations Schools Assessment and Certification Process that is implemented jointly by the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) and the First Nations Schools Association (FNSA) as the process by which PFN schools will be certified.

The First Nations Schools Assessment and Certification Process involves a five-year cycle of review and improvement planning (year one represents completion of the process, years two to five are for implementation of the resulting School Growth Plan, after which a new five-year cycle is intended to begin).

The FNEA Rules for the Certification of Participating First Nations Schools provide that the FNEA board may establish policies and procedures for the certification of PFN schools under the First Nations Schools Assessment and Certification Process.

Note:

  • In order to be eligible for Reciprocal Tuition, a school must have current FNSA certification or, in the case of PFN schools, FNEA certification.
  • FNEA will recognize the certification of any PFN school certified through the First Nations Schools Assessment and Certification Process until their current certification expires. Following the expiry of a PFN School’s current school certification, the PFN school will be certified in accordance with the First Nations Schools Assessment and Certification Process and any policies and procedures adopted by FNEA.

FNEA School Certification Resources

FNEA is responsible to establish standards that are applicable to education provided by a PFN on their reserve land for curriculum and examinations for courses necessary to meet graduation requirements. This includes establishing graduation requirements and the granting of graduation certificates.

The FNEA Rules regarding Graduation Certificates provide that there are three types of graduation certificates that are accessible to students provided they meet the certificate requirements:

  • FNEA Graduation Certificates
  • PFN Graduation Certificates
  • BC Graduation Certificates (the Dogwood Diploma and Adult Dogwood)

The rules address the graduation requirements for the FNEA Graduation Certificates and PFN Graduation Certificates.

FNEA Graduation Certificates and Graduation Requirements Resources

FNEA is responsible for providing a process for evaluating locally developed First Nation courses that are required for graduation from PFN schools. First Nation authorized courses for grades 10, 11, and 12 must be approved in order to qualify as elective credits towards the BC Certificate of Graduation (Dogwood), BC Adult Graduation Diploma (Adult Dogwood) or the FNEA Graduation Certificate, and may need to be approved to qualify for a Participating First Nation (PFN) graduation certificate.

The FNEA Rules Regarding Courses Required to Graduate from a PFN School set out the requirements for courses required for graduation from a PFN school, including the process for approving First Nation developed courses that will be required for graduation from a PFN school. The rules provide that if a PFN or Community Education Authority has developed a course that will be used to meet the requirements for an FNEA Graduation Certificate for a required or elective course or for a PFN graduation certificate, it will seek FNEA’s approval of that course in accordance with FNEA’s policies and procedures.

The rules also provide that FNEA will recognize the following courses as meeting its requirements for courses required to graduate from a PFN school:

  • courses that have been developed and authorized by the Ministry of Education and Child Care for BC Public Schools and BC Independent Schools;
  • courses that have been developed by a Participating First Nation or Community Education Authority and approved by FNEA in accordance with FNEA’s policies and procedures; and
  • courses that have been developed by a First Nation other than a Participating First Nation and that have been authorized in accordance with the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care Board/Authority Authorized Courses and First Nation Authorized Courses Policy.

Course Approvals Resources