Grad earns Fellowship to study Aboriginal education

Recent Nipissing graduate, Eric Shalom, is keen on making this world a better place and has earned a prestigious CAPSLE Fellowship to assist him.Shalom will use the $5,000 Fellowship to examine the legal framework surrounding Aboriginal education in Canada. The Schulich School of Education graduate is well equipped to face his task, as he also holds a Law degree from the University of Ottawa. While a Law student, he took a course on Aboriginal Law that sparked a deep interest in the subject.
That interest was stirred again while a student at Nipissing in courses that touched on Aboriginal education; Shalom, however, wanted more.
“I’m interested in how Aboriginal Education is framed. Education for Indians, to use the government terminology, is under Federal jurisdiction, while all other Canadians are under provincial jurisdiction. So, who really controls First Nations education? I’m especially interested in the funding mechanisms; How are fiscal transfers done to fund their education? How is it calculated and where is the money?”
Shalom realizes his work is unlikely to have significant impact overnight, but that doesn’t deter him.
Perhaps one day I’ll be in a position to affect change and will have a greater understanding of the issues. This is interesting to me on an intellectual level.”
Shalom was inspired to pursue his Bachelor of Education while working as a law student at the Supreme Court. Part of his duties included touring children through the court.
“I began to think more and more about how to engage and inspire kids and discovered that I loved that challenge,” he said. “Teaching is such an important job.”
“The Schulich School of Education is extremely proud of Eric and his accomplishment in earning a CAPSLE Fellowship,” said Dr. Carole Richardson, dean of the Schulich School of Education. “It is wonderful to see students in our program who bring a wealth of experience and education to our classrooms, and for whom teaching is a calling. Graduates like Eric, with the work he is doing in Aboriginal Education, are transforming our communities and our country for the better.”
CAPSLE is a national organization whose aim is to provide an open forum for the practical study of legal issues related to and affecting the education system and its stakeholders.?