Kuujjuaq (November 10, 2017) – Kativik Ilisarniliriniq is glad to announce that the Quebec Ministry of Education will issue a Secondary School Diploma (SSD) to all Nunavik high school graduates who received an Attestation of Equivalence of Secondary Studies (AESS) from the ministry between 2015 and 2017.

“This has been communicated to us in a recent letter from the Ministry of Education,” said the President of the school board, Alicie Nalukturuk. “The Council of Commissioners and the Executive Committee worked hard to ensure Nunavik students would be treated fairly and we are extremely happy of this positive result”, she added.

The school board is now working closely with the Ministry of Education to implement competency based learning in mathematics, in line with the education reform introduced in the province a number of years ago. “Communication with the Ministry of Education greatly improved over the past 6 months. At the ministry level, there is now a better understanding of our needs and of the extra resources we require in order to make the transition that the rest of the province went through over a much longer period, with adequate resources allocation”, commented Robert Watt, Vice-President of the school board.

“In addition to targeted training for our Mathematics teachers, the school board also allocated extra resources to support students and teachers through this transition period,” said Robert Watt. Indeed, during its October meeting, the Council of Commissioners approved the roll-out of a three-year Nunavik-wide tutorship program. The program will be offered in every schools, with the objective to support students in meeting the learning expectations set forth by the ministry programs. A first group of tutors will arrive at the end of November in five Nunavik communities. In January 2018, a second group will be assigned to the remaining communities.

On May 17, 2017, the Minister of Education appointed a senior staff to work with the school board on programs accreditation, as well as ongoing technical and pedagogical developments. On July 12, 2017, the Ministry of Education approved the progression of learning of the school board’s Secondary IV Mathematics and Sciences and Technology programs. As a result, when completing these courses, Nunavik students will now receive the mandatory credits leading to a Secondary School Diploma.

About us:

Kativik Ilisarniliriniq was created in 1975, under the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA). Since 1978, it has been the exclusive provider of educational services to all Nunavik residents. Under the JBNQA, the school board also acts as an institution with unique powers and jurisdiction geared towards the protection and development of the Inuit language, culture, and way of life, through the delivery of tailored educational services and programs. The education programs developed by the school board are offered in all schools of the 14 Nunavik communities, in Inuktitut as first language and in French and English as second languages. The school board operates 17 primary and secondary schools as well as 5 adult education centres and a pre-college facility. More information can be found at: www.kativik.qc.ca

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 For information, please contact:

Jade Duchesneau-Bernier

Communications Coordinator

publicrelations@kativik.qc.ca