Arctic Bay officials warn lack of teachers could disrupt school year
Nunavut Teachers Association acknowledges retention is an issue
Administrators at the Inuujaq School in Arctic Bay say there’s a risk the coming school year will be disrupted because of a lack of teachers. (File photo)
Administrators at Inuujaq School in Arctic Bay have warned parents the upcoming school year risks being disrupted due to a shortage of teachers in the region when school starts next week.
“We are still actively looking for interested candidates and are working to have adequate teaching staff soon,” principal Joan Bower and vice-principal Adrian Dzioba wrote to parents in a letter dated Aug. 19.
A total of 13 candidates have been interviewed by the kindergarten to Grade 12 school since late April, administrators said in the letter, but so far only three have accepted job offers. The school also is short on substitute teachers.
“We will do our best to keep all classes functional, however, delays, postponements and or cancellations may be necessary,” the letter said.
Nunatsiaq News asked the Education Department and Inuujaq School for a comment but did not receive a response.
Nunavut Teachers Association president Justin Matchett said he is aware of the situation in Arctic Bay but didn’t know details. But he said a lack of adequate housing is making it harder to attract and retain teachers, especially local ones, across Nunavut.
“Them not being offered housing, that really limits that opportunity for local Inuit who want to become teachers and educators, who might need housing with a job that they choose,” the Matchett said.
He pointed to Naujaat as one example where the administration struggled with teacher shortages last year.
“There’s a definite housing crisis going on in Naujaat,” he said. “They’ve had a hard time filling teaching positions because there’s just simply been no housing to offer anybody.”
When housing is available, it’s also often shared accommodations only, the union president said, which really limits who can apply.
“We are facing a major retention problem. It’s not recruitment in my opinion; it’s retention. We just have people leaving the profession,” he said.
He said it’s not a question of the low pay — salaries went up nine per cent this year under the current collective agreement — but more so how difficult the job has become in recent years.
Matchett said discussions about long hours, burnout, and violence in schools that have dominated media coverage has also distracted from the positives of choosing a career in education.
“That’s really the only side of teaching we’re seeing,” Matchett said. “Nunavut’s such a unique and wonderful place to teach, and I think we all need to focus on some of that.”
Inuujaq School is working with the Department of Education and the district education authority in Arctic Bay to resolve the staffing challenges, according to the letter.
Classes are scheduled to begin Aug. 25.
They know that no staff housing for Inuit and putting zero effort to get Inuit teachers in their government staff housing that will sit empty because no southerners should have to live in a place that housed Inuit.
This just shows that the higher ups on GN department will not let inuit workers into staff housing. People from down south only.
To my understanding, the majority of Inuit who went through the teacher education program are now working in more senior, higher-paying roles outside the classroom. Good for them, I do not blame anyone for taking those opportunities.
But if the goal of the program is to increase the number of local Inuit teachers in Nunavut classrooms, that outcome should tell us something. It may be time to look at whether the program, compensation, housing supports and career structure need to be redesigned so that teaching is an attractive long-term career and Inuit teachers are encouraged to remain in the classroom.
I say quality over quantity. Fewer, better quality teachers is better than a full complement of lesser quality teachers.