Nunavik's first in-region university program aims to recruit more teachers

Samuel Wat · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 3:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 6

Nunavik volition soon person its archetypal full-time assemblage programme delivered successful the portion — and it's for aspiring teachers. 

The region's schoolhouse board, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI), has received caller backing from the state to motorboat a certificate successful acquisition for First Nations and Inuit, successful concern with McGill University. 

Harriet Keleutak, KI's manager general, said their purpose is to bring much Inuktut teachers connected board.

"Every twelvemonth we're missing 20-plus Inuit teachers, meaning immoderate of our classes are closed astir of the time, adjacent though we effort to enlistee arsenic overmuch arsenic we can," she said. 

Currently, astir teachers bash part-time grooming on-the-job, and that's exclusive to existent Kativik Ilisarniliriniq employees. That process tin instrumentality up to 7 years.

"That leads to a precocious turnover due to the fact that the grooming is taking excessively agelong earlier they tin get their skills," Keleutak said.

This caller full-time course, starting September 2 successful Kuujjuaq, volition instrumentality 2 years and is unfastened to each beneficiaries of Nunavik. 

Last month, the schoolhouse committee partnered with Montreal's John Abbott College to bring immoderate 10-day post-secondary courses to the region.

There is presently nary assemblage oregon assemblage field located successful Nunavik. In contrast, each 3 territories and Labrador person astatine slightest 1 post-secondary institution. Under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, KI doesn't person the administrative jurisdiction to supply post-secondary acquisition by itself.

Through her conversations with Quebec's Education Ministry and Makivvik, Keleutak said she's hopeful that a post-secondary instauration could beryllium imaginable successful the adjacent decade.