Nunavut continues to experience a critical shortage of Inuit teachers that severely impacts the possibility of developing a bilingual, bicultural school system. Inuit students are left with a school system that, despite the best intentions of many, leads to the erosion of Inuit language and culture – and student underachievement.
The attached report on the recruitment of Inuit teachers in Nunavut provides hope by showing that many Inuit youth are interested in teaching. It suggests ways to remove barriers and improve recruitment efforts, based on interviews of 128 high school students and recent graduates in 11 Nunavut communities. It argues that NTEP students are a key to recruiting more Inuit youth to NTEP and that expanding the community-based NTEP would make teaching more accessible for many.
Lakehead University Faculty of Education researcher and former Grade 7 teacher in Nunavut, Paul Berger, and NTEP students Karen Inootik, Rebecca Jones and Jennifer Kadjuk, conducted the research.
Paul Berger may be reached in Thunder Bay for comment at
paul.berger@lakeheadu.ca
807-343-8708
Rebecca Jones may be reached in Ottawa for comment at
rccjones@hotmail.com
819-930-5331
