In November 2009, the Province of British Columbia (BC) and the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) reached a Reciprocal Tuition Agreement.

Under that Agreement, the BC Ministry of Education provides full per pupil funding to the First Nations school for students who are:

  • attending a First Nation school (including a school operated by a First Nation named in the schedule to the First Nations Jurisdiction
    over Education in British Columbia Act – i.e. a Participating First Nation (PFN) – as of September 29 of the current school year,
  • school age as defined by the BC Ministry of Education (at least five years of age by December 31 of the current school year and up to
    age 19 before July 1 of the current school year); and
  • living off-reserve and ineligible for federal education funding.

These are students who would be funded by the Province of British Columbia if they attended a public or independent school.

For more details, see our Reciprocal Tuition Handbook.