Nunavut school buses need funding boost, DEAs say

Joanasie Akumalik facilitated the annual general meeting of the Coalition of Nunavut District Education Authorities on Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the Frobisher Inn in Iqaluit. Representatives from each community discussed their top concerns at their schools and proposed solutions. (PHOTO BY COURTNEY EDGAR)

School buses are not regularly running in communities across Nunavut, and student attendance is taking a hit as a result, say representatives from the territory’s district education authorities.

“The buses aren’t running on a daily basis. Some students won’t attend if the bus is not working properly,” said Peter Iviq, Pangirtung’s DEA director, at the annual meeting of the Nunavut Coalition of District Education Authorities on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Poor attendance was another concern raised by many at the meeting.

Some schools have decided to encourage students to go to class by running raffles and offering prizes. But daily operation of a school bus would be a bigger help, representatives said.

In Kugluktuk, the DEA can only afford to run the school buses between November and March.

“There are grizzly bears now,” said Theresa Adamache, who represents the Kugluktuk DEA.

“If we started the buses up again now, we would not have the money to run the bus until March when it is colder.”

Kugluktuk received about $47,000 this year to operate its school bus, but Adamache said that budget would need to be doubled to pay drivers to operate the bus year-round.

Adamache says she sent a letter to Paul Quassa when he was the minister of education, several months ago, but never heard back from him.

In Naujaat, there are two schools but only one bus, and one bus driver. The Naujaat DEA sent a letter to the Department of Education and filled out funding requests to hire a second driver, but they have not heard back about it, either.

Paul Puqiqnaq, representing the Gjoa Haven DEA, said the community spends between $30,000 and $40,000 annually just to rent a garage for their school bus from the hamlet.

“It’s a lot of money that could be used for other projects,” Puqiqnaq said.

As for Grise Fiord, that school district does not have a bus, but they are starting to see bears come out, Anne Akeearok said.

In Qikiqtarjuaq, Jonah Keyookta says the mayor did a lot of lobbying to get the school a bus.

“It’s not operating today but it is near operational,” Keyookta said.

In Hall Beach, meanwhile, the school bus sits unused because the community doesn’t have a qualified bus driver.

“We have a school bus, but it’s just eating up our funds,” said Solomon Nasook, Hall Beach’s DEA chair.