About Gakino'amaage

Across Canada, First Nations learners continue to face deep and persistent barriers to educational equity. While progress has been made in some regions, data show that gaps in educational attainment remain widest for First Nations people living in remote and northern communities, where infrastructure, staffing, and access to supports are most limited.¹ In these contexts, access to stable, qualified educators is often inconsistent.² As a result, fewer First Nations students complete high school or transition successfully into post-secondary pathways—not because of a lack of ability or ambition, but because learning has been repeatedly disrupted.³

Gakino’amaage exists to address these inequities through partnership and action. Guided by the leadership and priorities of First Nations Community Partners, our work strengthens access to education that is rooted in community, culture, and place—so that students can learn in environments where they are known, supported, and able to succeed.

^{¹ Statistics Canada. Far From Home: High School Completion for First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (2025).}

^{² Statistics Canada. Distance as a Factor for High School Completion—Remoteness Index (2023).}

^{³ Assembly of First Nations & Centre for the Study of Living Standards. Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: An Update Using 2021 Census Data (2023).}

^{⁴ McIntyre, J., & Heppner, A. Northern Rural and Indigenous Teachers’ Experiences and Initial Teacher Education (ERIC, 2024).}

^{⁵ Landertinger, L., Tessaro, M., & Restoule, J.-P. We Have to Get More Teachers to Help Our Kids: Recruitment and Retention Strategies in Remote First Nations Schools (2023).}