The Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI) and Acadia University have announced a collaborative partnership to establish an Africentric Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) program. This will be the first focused Africentric B.Ed. cohort with an alternative offering in Atlantic Canada.
With funding support from Nova Scotia's Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, this partnership is aimed at addressing the under-representation of African Nova Scotian educators in the public school system. This initiative will be focused on individuals presently working as African Nova Scotian Student Support Workers throughout Nova Scotia schools, providing them with financial support to transition into a teaching career within the public school system.
The program offers an immersive Africentric curriculum with alternative delivery methods that resonate with Africentric philosophy and practices. "Africentric education centers the knowledge, history, culture, values, lived experiences and worldviews of African Peoples, allowing us to offer students a transformative learning experience that can positively influence their communities and the teaching profession," notes Dr. Késa Munroe-Anderson, Associate Professor in Acadia's School of Education. Working closely with Dr. Munroe-Anderson will be Loice Busingye, serving as DBDLI's Cohort Project Liaison.
This partnership builds on previous successful initiatives DBDLI has implemented with universities across the province, particularly the Africentric Master of Education in Counselling Cohort, which was delivered in collaboration with Acadia University.
"Acadia's partnership with DBDLI provides not just an opportunity to further foster positive relationships and meaningful connections with the African Nova Scotian communities but also serves as a platform for our broader Acadia community to engage with Africentricity, recognizing its potential to enhance university-wide anti-racism and decolonization efforts. It's an opportunity for our campus to continue to learn, respect, and embrace Africentricity," says Dr. Jeff Hennessy, President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia.
Randy Headley, DBDLI's board chair stated, "We are excited about this partnership with Acadia University and look forward to the positive impact the Africentric B.Ed. program will have on the representation of African Nova Scotian educators in the public school system. The future of African Nova Scotian learners will be positively impacted by intervention programs such as this and the suite of opportunities that will emerge."
"Every child in Nova Scotia deserves to get an education in a place where they feel they belong. Part of this is seeing themselves reflected throughout their school and learning from teachers with diverse backgrounds," said Becky Druhan, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. "The team at the DBDLI, along with faculty and staff from Acadia University, are delivering on a new and innovative approach to graduate more African Nova Scotian teachers. We are excited to support the DBDLI and Acadia and look forward to welcoming these new teachers to our classrooms."
The program is scheduled to begin in September 2024.
