A new bachelor of arts degree in Nisga鈥檃 language fluency will be offered starting next September at the University of Northern British Columbia.

A statement from the university says the four-year undergraduate degree is the first of its kind in northern B.C. and will give students an immersive education with about 70 per cent of the courses having a Nisga鈥檃 component.

The Nisga鈥檃 people, who live in the Nass Valley in the northwestern part of the province, were the first to sign a modern treaty in B.C. in a landmark agreement that came into effect in May 2000.

The university is teaming up with the Wilp Wilxo鈥檕skwhl Nisga鈥檃 Institute, an Aboriginal post-secondary facility in the Nass Valley, where certificate and diploma programs in the Nisga鈥檃 language are already offered.

Institute CEO Deanna Nyce says it鈥檚 exciting to witness students becoming fluent and using their language skills in public.

The statement says the four-year undergraduate degree will help ensure the long-term vitality of the Nisga鈥檃 language.

B.C. Minister of Post-Secondary Education Selina Robinson says investing in such programs is critical for strengthening Indigenous language revitalization, while moving toward meaningful reconciliation.

鈥淭ogether, we are creating a province where Indigenous students, and through them their communities, can reconnect with their language as a way to reclaim their history and culture and reach their full potential.鈥�

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