Nunavut plans program for adults to earn high school diploma

Nunavut plans to put a big push on helping adults in Nunavut get their high school diplomas.

Premier Eva Aariak, the education minister, announced the new qualification Feb. 23, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced CanNor spending of $11.1 million on adult education in Nunavut over the next five years.

Nunavut’s education department plans to hire a new staffer in its career development services division, who will focus on the “Mature High School Graduation Diploma” project.

An advisory committee with members from the Department of Education, Nunavut Arctic College, and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. will help determine the best options for this project’s implementation, administration, and delivery, Aariak said March 5 in the Nunavut legislature.

“Literacy, adult basic education, GED [general education diploma], high school completion, and upgrading will all be integrated in this project to provide the support needed for continuing learning,” she said. “Giving Nunavummiut every opportunity to earn their high school diploma is very important.”

The Nunavut high school diploma is accepted across Canada, while programs such as the GED are not accepted for entry into some college and university programs, she added.

“If an individual who has not completed high school needs to earn their diploma to pursue a chosen career path, we need to give them the opportunity to study in an adult learning environment,” Aariak said.