Education
Primary school students attended J.R. Nakogee School which was constructed in the 1970s and opened in 1976. It is not the first school in town; Attawapiskat School opened in 1953. J.R. Nakogee School was closed on May 11, 2000 because of site contamination and possible health problems that were attributed to a massive diesel leak at the site that occurred in 1979. The students and staff have since been in portables. Secondary school students attend Vezina Secondary School which was established in the early 1990s with additions built in following years. The secondary school was founded by John B. Nakogee in 1991 and it was named after Father Rodigue Vezina, a local Catholic priest who has served the community since 1975.
Since the Attawapiskat First Nation was forced to close its elementary school in May 2000, the community’s students have been receiving their elementary education in a series of portables. Money that had been allocated for the renovation of the deteriorating physical condition of the 25 year old frame construction school was used to fund the construction of eight double and three single portable classrooms. The recreations are basic with none of the supplementary resources schools in other parts of the province have available. Parents in the community are now starting to hold their children back from attending the school, or are seeking education in other communities. The situation is deteriorating since quality education cannot be offered in the present facilities.
A study by B. H. Martin indicates that the total area available for instruction is only about 50% of the space allocated in Indian Affairs' School Space Accommodation Standards.
A new school was promised by the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs in the summer of 2000, but no action has been taken. The Education Authority’s Chairman summed up the community’s plight by saying; "We just want what any other parent would want for their children - a safe school."
Attawapiskat First Nation marked the ground breaking for new Attawapiskat Elementary School June 22, 2012. The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Shawn Atleo congratulated the community of Attawapiskat as they celebrated the ground breaking of their new elementary school.
Read more about this topic: Attawapiskat First Nation
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