Latest news with #KativikIlisarniliriniq
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Nunavik's first in-region university program aims to recruit more teachers
Nunavik will soon have its first full-time university program delivered in the region — and it's for aspiring teachers. The region's school board, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI), has received new funding from the province to launch a certificate in education for First Nations and Inuit, in partnership with McGill University. Harriet Keleutak, KI's director general, said their aim is to bring more Inuktut teachers on board. "Every year we're missing 20-plus Inuit teachers, meaning some of our classes are closed most of the time, even though we try to recruit as much as we can," she said. Currently, most teachers do part-time training on-the-job, and that's exclusive to current Kativik Ilisarniliriniq employees. That process can take up to seven years. "That leads to a high turnover because the training is taking too long before they can get their skills," Keleutak said. This new full-time course, starting September 2 in Kuujjuaq, will take two years and is open to all beneficiaries of Nunavik. Last month, the school board partnered with Montreal's John Abbott College to bring some 10-day post-secondary courses to the region. There is currently no college or university campus located in Nunavik. In contrast, all three territories and Labrador have at least one post-secondary institution. Under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, KI doesn't have the administrative jurisdiction to provide post-secondary education by itself. Through her conversations with Quebec's Education Ministry and Makivvik, Keleutak said she's hopeful that a post-secondary institution could be possible in the next decade.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nunavik's first in-region university program aims to recruit more teachers
Nunavik will soon have its first full-time university program delivered in the region — and it's for aspiring teachers. The region's school board, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI), has received new funding from the province to launch a certificate in education for First Nations and Inuit, in partnership with McGill University. Harriet Keleutak, KI's director general, said their aim is to bring more Inuktut teachers on board. "Every year we're missing 20-plus Inuit teachers, meaning some of our classes are closed most of the time, even though we try to recruit as much as we can," she said. Currently, most teachers do part-time training on-the-job, and that's exclusive to current Kativik Ilisarniliriniq employees. That process can take up to seven years. "That leads to a high turnover because the training is taking too long before they can get their skills," Keleutak said. This new full-time course, starting September 2 in Kuujjuaq, will take two years and is open to all beneficiaries of Nunavik. Last month, the school board partnered with Montreal's John Abbott College to bring some 10-day post-secondary courses to the region. There is currently no college or university campus located in Nunavik. In contrast, all three territories and Labrador have at least one post-secondary institution. Under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, KI doesn't have the administrative jurisdiction to provide post-secondary education by itself. Through her conversations with Quebec's Education Ministry and Makivvik, Keleutak said she's hopeful that a post-secondary institution could be possible in the next decade.
Hamilton Spectator
7 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Lack of leadership cited for Nunavik school board's financial struggles
Quebec's education ministry has found layers of problems within Kativik Ilisarnilirniq's administration and deemed the board's financial situation 'out of control,' a new report says. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education investigated the Nunavik school board's governance and administration between December 2023 and June 2024, following a provincial cabinet order. It launched the investigation in response to the school board's deteriorating financial situation — going from a $14.5 million surplus in the 2018-19 school year to a $26.7 million deficit in 2022-23. The report, titled Administrative Inquiry into the Administration and Operation of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, and released this month, offers 10 observations about how the board's financial situation deteriorated. 'The elected commissioners lack sufficient knowledge to carry out their roles and exercise the responsibilities related to their function,' it said. Fourteen commissioners are elected from each community to form the board. Five of them plus a Kativik Regional Government appointee make up the board's executive committee. 'According to observations made at last year's meetings, the board is not sufficiently involved in many of the areas for which it is responsible,' the report said. One example is strategic planning. The report says there has not been an exercise to plan for the future in nearly 10 years. 'The absence of formal strategic planning means that neither the commissioners nor [the board's] senior management have a common point of reference.' The report also pointed out that the frequency with which the council of commissioners meets — four times a year — is insufficient to effectively oversee school board workings, remain engaged or deal with challenges the board faces. It also found commissioners are not involved enough in the board's finances. 'The commissioners' discussions appear to be minimal, if not absent,' the report said. 'They are limited to concluding that there is a lack of 'adequate' funding from the [ministry of education].' The report pointed out that since the beginning of the inquiry, the council did not make it a priority to hold more discussions related to finances. It also said the board is unable to adapt to organization changes because of members' lack of expertise, there's a lack of finance department leadership, weak controls against errors or fraud, while the council of commissioners' focus on political issues over financial matters. As a result of its investigation, the ministry will appoint an external support person and a specialized firm to advise the board's administration, inform commissioners of their roles and responsibilities, improve the financial department, and make a diagnosis for organization changes. In a statement May 19, Kativik Ilisarnilirniq president Sarah Aloupa said 'the investigation report portrays the council of commissioners as reckless when it comes to making financial decisions. 'The reality of it is that we were faced with difficult choices: inadequate funding and urgent needs in terms of infrastructure to maintain or expand, new positions needed to support students, etc.' Aloupa said the consensus among commissioners at the time was that their best strategy was to approve a deficit budget. 'So, here we are today, with a deficit and a sound financial recovery plan in place, but most importantly, with open communication channels with the [education ministry],' Aloupa said. She said the report has been helpful but some recommendations show a disconnect between the provincial government and the Nunavik education sector, specifically a lack of training for the commissioners. The training recommended, which is provided by the education ministry, is not tailored to the Nunavik board and its different work environment, the board's statement said. Also, only 10 per cent of the training material is available in English. The statement said it should be the ministry's responsibility to develop training material that's tailored and relevant to the region. 'We are committed to strengthening the existing collaboration as we continue working on the development of action plans to address the report's recommendations,' Aloupa said. 'We also hope that the report will help the [education ministry] to establish effective priorities in providing support to Kativik Ilisarniliriniq.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec gov't inquiry shows lack of oversight at Nunavik school board
An inquiry by Quebec's Ministry of Education has highlighted what it says is a lack of financial oversight within Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the Nunavik school board. "Action is needed to establish best practices in internal control and financial management," reads the report. Among other issues, it points to the board commissioners' inexperience, who didn't have the professional background needed to oversee financial operations. In 2019, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI) was operating with a $14 million surplus; by June 2023, that had dropped to a $26.7 million deficit. That drastic change is what set off the inquiry in December 2023. The inquiry determined that the deficit is mostly due to a construction plan that would see the building of staff housing and various education facilities. The inquiry found a lack of proper expense tracking related to the projects. "The lack of leadership of the financial resources department of KI explains why it does not play the central role that it should in the organization, and this prevents the department from carrying out strict monitoring of budgetary processes and from rendering a complete and relevant accountability report," reads the report. The Quebec government's inquiry also showed significant flaws in the organization's internal control processes. In one example, some employees still had access to the school board's databases even after they'd left. Another is that changes could easily be made to financial information without needing to be validated by a manager. The inquiry determined that this lack of oversight exposed the school board to significant risk of error or even fraud. External support The inquiry ultimately proposed 14 recommendations, including hiring an "external support person" and a "specialized firm" to steady the board's administration. It also includes advising administrators, putting together a strategic plan, training the commissioners and establishing better internal control processes. The provincial government also recommended the board develop a recruitment strategy with "clear and precise objectives in order to reach the targets for staff retention, development and mobilization and, consequently, improve student perseverance and success." According to the inquiry, the high turnover rate of teachers in the region — about 30 per cent annually — has a negative impact on student success. That rate, it states, is mainly due to "the lack of preparation of non-Indigenous teachers for living conditions in Nunavik." Another section compiled exit interview data and showed that nearly a third of the teachers that left (29 per cent) reported a "toxic" work environment. "KI needs to explore this worrying data further to improve the situation quickly. Clearly, improving the work climate will have a positive impact on the organization by motivating staff and reducing the turnover rate. As a result, students should receive better teaching and develop a sense of belonging to their school while KI should save money," it reads. Financial decisions not 'reckless', says board In a response published to its website, the board acknowledged the reports findings and said the recommendations highlighted issues already identified by the board. "They all concern areas where work was already actively ongoing prior to the launch of the investigation (for example, recruitment, staff retention, student success, maintenance of infrastructures, cyber security and more)," it said. However, the board also rejected the idea that it mismanaged its funds, instead saying the deficit was caused by a lack of funding from the provincial government. "We didn't walk blindly into a deficit. The investigation report portrays the Council of Commissioners as reckless when it comes to making financial decisions. The reality of it is that we were faced with difficult choices: inadequate funding and urgent needs in terms of infrastructure to maintain or expand, new positions needed to support students, etc.," said Sarah Aloupa, president of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, in a statement. The decision to approve deficit spending was the best way to get the Ministry of Education's attention, she added. "So, here we are today: with a deficit and a sound financial recovery plan in place, but most importantly, with open communication channels with the (ministry)." The board said the inquiry's findings also show a disconnect between the ministry's understanding and the realities of education in Nunavik. It points to the majority of training materials for commissioners being in French as one example. "Only 10 per cent of this training material is available in English, while the rest exists only in French," reads the board's response. "Like 99 per cent of the Nunavik residents … our elected officials read and speak Inuktitut as their first language. We see it as a (ministry) responsibility to develop training material tailored and relevant to the law that applies on the territory under our administrative jurisdiction."
CBC
26-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nunavik school board working to bring post-secondary education to the region
Nunavik's school board, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI), has partnered with Montreal's John Abbott College to bring some post-secondary courses to the region. There's currently a 10-day sewing arts workshop, and recently an Inuit media course. They are worth just a handful of credits, but it's a start for Phebe Bentley, KI's director of post-secondary student services. There is currently no college or university campus located in Nunavik. In contrast, all three territories and Labrador have at least one post-secondary institution. Under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, KI doesn't have the administrative jurisdiction to provide post-secondary education. "We're hoping at the end to have a full program, but right now we're kind of exploring and seeing what works," Bentley said. Roughly 4 per cent of Nunavimmiut have completed post-secondary education, according to KI, and most opportunities for training for Nunavimmiut right now are offered through employers. "If you change employers, then you may or may not be able to continue … so post-secondary education in Nunavik is not accessible to youth or to the general public," Bentley said. Salluit's Andrew Papigatuk, who now lives in Montreal, was one of the students in the Inuit media course held earlier this month in Inukjuak. "It opened my mind to limitless opportunities … I'm hoping in the near future, more people will be seeing more of my stuff," he said. Even while in high school, Papigatuk knew he wanted to work in video production. He moved to Montreal several years ago to be a video editor, where he was able to gain skills on the job. "I think it would be great if more opportunities to train other people were offered, which is why I'm completely supporting courses like this," he said. Students heading south for further education A 2022 report from an independent task force on Northern post-secondary education detailed a series of barriers for Nunavimmiut who want to pursue post-secondary education — with relocation being the most significant one. "It's a whole different environment for them. They don't have family around anymore. They're not in their own environment … that community feeling is not as strong down here than it is up north," Andrew Papigatuk said. In 2019, the federal government approved a 10-year budget to support the Inuit post-secondary education strategy. Some of that funding went towards sponsoring students from their communities through distance learning. But the federally commissioned task force found that online learning didn't work well in Nunavik, with many students dealing with poor internet connectivity and a lack of study space due to overcrowded homes. "It is a basic issue of regional inequity that undermines any further exploration of distance education," the report reads. "Until there is reliable, fast, affordable and accessible internet throughout Nunavik, distance education will continue to be functionally inaccessible to Nunavik students." Post-secondary institution in Nunavik a longer-term goal A 2023 study, commissioned by Quebec's Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEQ), identified two models of post-secondary institutions in Nunavik — which would consist of a main campus, plus satellite campuses and learning centres for other communities. KI also conducted community consultations, with the report now being finalized. A key theme so far, says Phebe Bentley, is the need for a post-secondary education model that's culturally relevant to Nunavik — and not just a "cut-and-paste" of models in other parts of Quebec. "I think overwhelmingly people want an education system that is rooted in Inuit culture and language, but they also want it to be paired with a degree or a diploma where they can work in today's society," she said. The task force report found a lack of Inuktitut teachers to be a growing concern, and that worries Bentley too, though she believes new funding from the provincial government for a teaching certificate can help. "If we really want to decolonize and we want our language to continue to thrive, especially in this digital age where there's a threat to indigenous languages … I think just to show them the importance [of that] and helping them and supporting them … that's all that we can do." For now, the goal for Bentley is to get KI jurisdiction under their modern treaty to open up a full-time post-secondary program in Nunavik within the next decade, as she believes already there's existing infrastructure in the region for that. A full post-secondary institution, however, is a longer-term goal, but she is optimistic. "That involves a lot more funding … but we already have some options in place."
