The Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) is offering financial support for young students whose education has been shifted online due to the pandemic.
Students and families who have had to make purchases to facilitate at-home learning can apply for the OKIB’s COVID-19 education supplement.
The supplement is available to all OKIB members and applies to students living on and off reserve land.
“Student success is of paramount importance in these challenging times. Therefore, OKIB has created a COVID-19 Education Supplement to assist students and their families with the additional financial costs associated with learning at home,” the band said Friday, May 1.
Parents can apply to recover educational expenses of up to $200 per elementary student and $300 per secondary student, to a maximum of $500 per household.
Eligible expenses include computer or laptop purchases, tutoring fees, Internet costs or any other items deemed necessary and endorsed by the Education Coordinator, to support the ongoing educational needs of the student, such as paper, desk, headphones or computer video camera purchases. Receipts should be submitted with each application by July 1.
Members can apply through the OKIB education department webpage.
For more information, contact Education Coordinator Peggy Joe at peggy.joe@okanagan.org.
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