Bilingual Inuktitut education not being properly implemented in Nunavut, report finds

CBC News

· Posted: May 26, 2025 2:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

A caller study has recovered that bilingual Inuktitut acquisition is not being decently implemented successful Nunavut schools. 

The study is called From Promise to Practice: Inuit Voices connected Bilingual Education and was composed aft consultation meetings successful 24 Nunavut communities. 

It recovered students are falling down erstwhile the displacement from Inuktitut to English is excessively abrupt, it recovered determination is simply a shortage of Inuit teachers, and that Inuit teachers who are moving successful Nunavut should get more mentorship, training and schoolroom support.

The study was written by the Coalition of Nunavut District Education Authorities, a non-governmental advocacy enactment that supports parents with children successful Nunavut's acquisition system. 

Carla Oyukuluk is the coalition's liaison officer, she spoke with CBC News successful Inuktitut. She said Inuktitut is precise beardown from Kindergarten to Grade 3 oregon 4, but that aft that the students are mostly being taught successful English — and this is starring to Inuktitut connection loss.

Maya Jelali is the coalition's director of research, argumentation and evaluation, and led the study penning and information analysis. 

"There was insufficient enactment for Inuit languages," Jelali said. 

The prime and frequence of Inuktitut acquisition was constricted by a deficiency of certified bilingual Inuit educators and due program materials, the study found. 

"An illustration of that was that students reported being fixed simple level worksheets successful Inuktitut good into their inferior and elder precocious school. That suggested to america an urgent request to update the resources," Jelali said.  

Nunavut offers 3 bilingual models: the Qulliq Model, for Inuit language-dominant communities; the Immersion Model, for revitalizing Inuit languages successful predominantly English-speaking homes; and the Dual Model, which separates students into Inuit oregon English first-language streams. The study recovered these models cannot beryllium evaluated due to the fact that they person not been afloat implemented.

The study found all 3 models deficiency capable resources to instrumentality bilingual acquisition effectively. The study doesn't suggest caller models, but calls for enactment to decently instrumentality the existing ones. 

According to the report, the prime and frequence of Inuktitut acquisition was constricted by a deficiency of Inuit educators and due program materials.

The study noted concerns that determination are not capable due spaces for teaching and learning Inuktitut. 

"Participants besides identified broader challenges — including shortages of qualified teachers, a deficiency of teaching materials, constricted assemblage engagement, and gaps successful enactment and accountability," the study found.

The study besides included recommendations including "investments successful teacher training, program and materials development, and stronger assemblage partnerships."

CBC News reached retired to the Nunavut section of Education astir the report, but didn't person a effect by deadline.