Territories ink deal on northern university development

The education ministers for Canada’s three northern territories signed an agreement June 30 to look at the idea of expanding university education for northern students.

“It is the next logical step in the evolution of our post-secondary institutions…,” Jackson Lafferty, the Northwest Territories education minister, said in a news release.

The news release said the three territorial governments will “explore university models” and “approaches for university development.”

To do that, the the three governments will create a committee to look at options for how to move forward with university education in the North.

And the news release said the this committee will work together to find ways of talking to the federal government about ways of paying for more university development.

The committee, made up of two representatives from each territorial government and an appointed chair, is to prepare a discussion and options paper this summer for the three territorial education minister to look at.

“A high quality educational environment that maintains a balance between academic excellence and the culture, values and lifestyle of our northern students will provide the support they need to achieve success,” Nunavut premier and education minister Eva Aariak said.