Inuit teachers deserve bonuses

Just as Iqaluit’s schools are working to get more Inuktitut in the classroom, the number of teachers in the Nunavut school system is going down, said Katherine Trumper at an IDEA meeting this past Monday.

Inuit teachers who are leaving the school system – either for higher paying jobs, or to retire – is “a bit of a sleeper issue,” Trumper said, “even though it’s well known.”

Trumper noticed this issue in Thomas Berger’s recent report on the implementation of the Nunavut land claim agreement, which outlined several challenges in Nunavut’s education system.

She suggested the IDEA look into a bonus to Inuit teachers, and enhanced support for the first three years in the classroom — the period when most teachers choose to leave.

“If they can do it with nurses, why not teachers coming out of the Nunavut Teacher Education Program?” Trumper asked.

“Hear, hear,” said Karliin Aariak, another IDEA member.

The IDEA referred the matter to their policy committee, which will work on a proposal for the Department of Education.