$5M in annual funding announced for Inuit post-secondary education support
NTI also announces more streamlined approach to providing services
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the territory’s three Inuit associations announced a unified post-secondary education policy on Tuesday. (File photo)
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the territory’s three regional Inuit associations have announced the rollout of an updated Nunavut Inuit Post-Secondary Education program.
The move follows NTI’s board of directors’ approval of a unified post-secondary education policy in March, according to a news release issued Tuesday.
“Post-secondary education is crucial for Nunavut Inuit to gain the skills required to lead the territory today, tomorrow, and into the future,” said NTI president Aluki Kotierk.
The new policy aims to streamline the process of Inuit post-secondary education support that is provided by NTI, Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Kivalliq Inuit Association and the Kakivak Association.
The program is funded by a multi-year commitment from Indigenous Services Canada.
Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corp., which provides funding and support for to help Inuit obtain employment, has “committed to contributing up to $5 million per fiscal year between 2023-2025 to address a funding shortfall that the program is experiencing due to the high demand,” the news release said.
The program is administered by the three regional Inuit organizations.
The new policy and program will be available to Inuit students for the fall 2024 semester. Students seeking more information should reach out to their regional organization.
A spokesperson for NTI was not available to elaborate on the new program.
very few, if any, will be returning from a post secondary education to as they say ‘to lead the territory today, tomorrow and into the future. you might get the odd inuk to return to iqaluit but beyond that not so much. and even then they got to stay at mom and dads as there is no staff housing. the gn is counting these hires monthly to report to the politicians. it must be depressing to report a big fat zero.
If , i got , a all expense paid education , i would travel the world first , before comming back to all the drama in the north. Maybe come back.
What’s causing such low education numbers? Has anyone ask why Inuit students aren’t getting into post secondary education and finishing? Degrees, trades, nursing, teachers etc. If we aren’t getting the right qualifications then we can’t be surprised if our workforce isn’t getting more Inuit employees and it’s “southerners” getting the jobs. No matter what we need public services to run so it’s fair if others are getting hired cuz at least someone is doing the job.
Would it be better if we understood why the numbers of education is low and work from there? Educate families to encourage your children to pursue more education is good. Since job opportunities are there and big plus is helping your community. Thinking out loud here – obviously funding is there but why is there low education numbers?…
Nunavut communities used to have a vey high level of attendance at local schools. It started out this way because Inuit used to genuinely believe that they needed to learn new, “modern” or southern things in order to survive and be successful in the modern world. And also families were coerced – often told that federal benefits depended on their children attending. A structure used to exist that compelled attendance, such as truancy officers, and initially, the RCMP and other federal workers.
Today, this has all changed. Many people in Nunavut believe or have been re-indoctrinated into thinking a formal education is not important. These ideas are reinforced by the current theory that traditional knowledge is just as important as scientific knowledge, even though children are not compelled to live a traditional life in order to learn the latter. There is no structure in place to compel attendance – it has probably been a couple of decades since the last parents were fined under the Ed Act for not sending their kids to school.
If a child does not attend, and later in life, recognizes that they need education and training, a whole system of adult education has arisen to deal with this common scenario. So, people got the message that if you do not go to school it is ok because the government will still help you catch up later if you want, and even pay you to do so, which they will not do if you are a child.
If you do not have formal qualifications to get a job, here in Nunavut we have been successful in removing these “barriers to employment” So, the message is, don’t bother going to school, if you wait around long enough, they will give you the job anyway.
Nunavummuit do not send their kids to school because they are allowed to do so, Moreover, our system and society supports such behavior.
There also seems to be a widely held belief that being an Inuk automatically bestows you this Inuit Traditional Knowledge. There are Inuit who do not go out on the land, do not hunt, do not sew, do not bake, do not know Inuktut, that are being hired by cruise companies to be the token Inuk to speak to cruise passengers about Inuit Traditional Knowledge and culture. Or they’re being flown around the world to give speeches about these things when, in reality, they just don’t know as much as they think they do. They have easy office jobs that were pretty much handed to them, barely do any work, eat almost entirely restaurant food, and spend their free time watching tv or playing video games. But, they’re buddy-buddy with some southern folk who get them the hookups for cushy gigs. There are plenty of Inuit who are more knowledgeable that could give much better perspective, but they’re not as easy for the southern companies to hire.
There was a Facebook post going around a while ago about how qabloonaq living in Nunavut should learn the language. If they don’t, then they’re lazy, or they don’t care, they’re not respecting the people, they should put in the effort, and so on. And I found it so ironic to see many Inuit who also don’t speak the language sharing it. I guess white people that don’t learn Inuktut in a few years are lazy but Inuit who don’t learn Inuktut in a lifetime are victims?
Being Inuit in and of itself does not give you Inuit Traditional Knowledge.
And by extension you do not need to be Inuit to possess and pass on Inuit Traditional Knowledge. There are many non Inuit who are just as knowledgeable about the land, environment, history and culture, particularly when compared to younger generations of Inuit.
Thanks, I’m genuinely curious about it and wanted to see if this can spark something because change needs to happen. Perhaps shifting the idea of education being important in households? It’s a downhill if things continue this way and it’s concerning, I want my people to do well, getting an education is so important. Having a good work ethic can get you far and help communities, if people are complaining about not enough Inuit then we need those inter community conversations that are tough – looking at ourselves and why aren’t we Inuit doing more to get qualified. Also, fixing our attitudes towards school and to take it seriously because Inuit before us sacrificed a lot for future generations to do better. To be able to depend on ourselves by filling these positions (teachers, police, doctors, trades etc). Jobs are there, but how do we convince ourselves to do the work to get there? I’m sure we can do it but there is a gap. I wish I had the answers.
Happy Nunavut Day!
This is wonderful news. Every little bit helps for those kids that are trying to make a living for themselves, in an environment that is a dog eat dog world. As for kids returning/not returning…it is what it is. It is the same for every jurisdiction. Ma’naujusi NTI-RIA’s.