Current Events

Please find a copy of the talking points regarding the EDI student census 2025, which will be launched on November 21 for students. This one-pager will be distributed to instructors on the 20th by the OVP ACB, but we were encouraged to send early and often to make sure we amplify a consistent message for faculty, students.

As a Brown woman, a treaty person, and the daughter of Muslim immigrants from the colonized countries of Uganda and Pakistan, I honour the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of ᐊᒥᐢᑿᒌᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ amiskwacîwâskahikan, the homeland of the Métis Nation, and the Papaschase (pâhpâstêw) land.  This land has been stolen from the Papaschase Nation, which was established as part of Treaty 6 in 1877, but Canada annulled it 11 years later in 1888, when the Papaschase Nation were forced off the land and was made to move further south in Edmonton. 

I honour the diverse groups of Indigenous peoples whose land settlers have stolen, identities that have been dismissed, and histories that have been erased. Until Indigenous peoples living in these territories, across Turtle Island, and Indigenous peoples living globally attain and regain their sovereignty and self-government, until restitution is paid, and the truth is unambiguously communicated, we all participate in and benefit from this ongoing and ever-present colonial violence.  It is my commitment as a Muslim, a treaty person of Colour, an educator, a daughter to immigrants, and a mother to be deeply invested in my unlearning of colonial structures and systems of White supremacy that have persisted for centuries. My ongoing commitment, solidarity, and co-conspiratorship with Indigenous peoples globally is to learn alongside them and to use my privileged voice for action and change. This commitment is lifelong, generational, and a legacy I will leave for my children. 

I challenge all of us to think about the commitments we have to live in good relations with Indigenous colleagues, friends, kin, and communities and think about what it means in our personal and professional commitments. Begin by thinking about your connections to the land on which you live, work, and play. Think about the responsibilities we have to be committed to teaching the whole truth to help Canadians move closer to reconciliaction. In the words of the honourable, former Chief Justice Murray Sinclair, Education plays a crucial part in Reconciliation: “Education is what got us here, education is what will get us out.”

KEY UofA LINKS:

• The Centre for Research for Teacher Education and Development (The CRTED)

• Learn more about how UAlberta is Changing the Story to ensure access, community and belonging.

• Faculty Treaty 6 Information

• Faculty Indigenous Initiatives

• Braiding Past, Present and Future, the University of Alberta Indigenous Strategic Plan

• Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Policy and Procedures

• Helping Individuals at Risk

• Office of Safe Disclosure and Human Rights

• Indigenous Student Resources 

• the Disability Cultures and Access Hub: a database of U of A resources that can help students, faculty and staff with navigating disability-related barriers, register for and implement accommodations, improve accessibility and engage with disability cultures.

  Teacher Strike

  ATA announced that teachers have voted against the latest agreement offered by the provincial government, meaning that if they do not come to an agreement in the next week, teachers will be on strike starting October 6th, 2025. For more information: https://teachers.ab.ca/bargaining-next-steps/public-strike-information

https://teachers.ab.ca/news/teacher-strike-imminent

Please fill this out if you are concerned about your practicum because of the strike: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UASUStudentQuestionsTeachersStrike

Who We Are

The Education Students’ Association (ESA) is the Faculty Association for undergraduate Faculty of Education students at the University of Alberta as well as Student Local No. 1 of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). It is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit organization run by Education students, for Education students.

The ESA Council is comprised of 19 democratically elected students who represent 2,800 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education each year.

Our Mandate

We, the members of the Education Students’ Association, have the desire and commitment to create the best student association possible. We continuously strive to further our mandate to:

1. Create a community for all the students within the Faculty of Education,

2. Provide leadership and a voice for all Education students, both academically and professionally, and

3. Perform valued services and create opportunities for student involvement.

Activities

The ESA Council is comprised of 19 democratically elected students who represent 2,800 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education each year. The ESA offers a variety of services, including an annual membership card providing access to discounts at local businesses and benefits provided by the ATA. These benefits include access to publications, library materials, preferred rates at businesses, advice and consultation on professional matters, and professional development opportunities. Our office serves as a space for students to socialize, study, or grab a snack. Throughout the year, we organize several significant events, such as Education Week in January, which offers over a dozen professional development sessions. We also host Frosty Fest in February, an event that doubles as a socializing opportunity and a career and networking event where students can meet with school division representatives. As well, we arrange an annual graduation banquet for graduating students in June. The ESA also proudly provides five annual scholarships and awards recognizing leadership, with specific funding for FNMI, visible minorities, and students with dependents.