Personal Education Credit Program Launched
(January 10, 2014 – Iqaluit, Nunavut) Under the Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, there is a provision to use the remaining funds from the Common Experience Payment Trust Fund toward the Personal Education Credit Program. All former residential school students who received the Common Experience Payment between 2007 and 2012 will be eligible to access and use the Personal Education Credit. The Personal Education Credit Program was approved for implementation on Jan. 1, 2014. There are 2,600 Nunavut Inuit eligible for the Personal Education Credit, including Inuit who live outside of Nunavut.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and other Aboriginal organizations negotiated the terms and conditions of the Personal Education Credit Program with the federal government.
The one-time Personal Education Credit of $3,000 will not be in the form of cash or cheques, but in the form of credit to an institution where a former student wishes to attend for educational purposes. Former residential school students from Nunavut may use this credit for post-secondary education programs, as well as for the study of Inuit history, culture and language programs and courses.
The Personal Education Credit is administered by Crawford Class Actions Services, which mailed out the forms to all former residential school students who received the Common Experience Payment earlier this year.
There will be options to use the Personal Education Credit:
• The applicant may choose to use the Personal Education Credit in full.
• The applicant may choose to use the Personal Education Credit partially and transfer the credit to a maximum of two family members.
• The applicant may choose to divide the Personal Education Credit to attend two cultural or educational programs.
• The applicant may choose to transfer all the Personal Education Credit to a maximum of two family members.
• The applicant may opt to pool their Personal Education Credit for a group educational or cultural service with other applicants.
The Personal Education Credit will be applied toward costs such as tuition, fees, transportation and accommodation costs, meals, books, computer equipment, program supplies, and other incidental costs related to participation in a cultural or educational institution, and will be redeemable in the following programs that provide cultural or education services:
• Community-based organizations and centres that provide Inuit culture, language and history programs.
• Post-secondary institutions in Canada, such as universities or colleges.
• Technical institutes or trade schools in Canada.
• Early childhood education centres or daycare programs (0-6 years).
• Elementary and secondary schools in Nunavut (Grades K-12).
The Personal Education Credit Program has the following timelines;
• Jan. 1, 2014 – Implementation Date.
• Oct. 31, 2014 – Deadline to fill out the Acknowledgement Form.
• Dec. 1, 2014 – Deadline to Redeem the Credit (the Redemption Form will be filled out by the cultural or educational service provider of choice).
• The cultural or educational program that the applicant chooses may be attended any time after Dec. 1, 2014 so long as he or she redeemed the Personal Education Credit before the deadline.
NTI hired two staff members to assist former students in Nunavut with the program. For more information, please call NTI at (867) 975-4900 or 1-888-646-0006, or visit our website at www.tunngavik.com.
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For further information:
Karen Flaherty
A/Director of Communications
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Tel: (867) 975-4941 Toll-free: 1-888-646-0006
Cell: (867) 222-2393
www.tunngavik.com
