Nunavut Tunngavik creates fund to enhance Inuktut education

Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated has established an Inuktut Education Innovation Fund and is seeking proposals from individuals or organizations who might benefit from the initiative.

The funding, partly provided by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage, is anticipated to be $2.1 million over five years, with $200,000 available annually to Inuit researchers and educators aiming to revitalize Inuktut language and education.

Among the ways that the fund can be tapped into includes “research on innovative measures, education methods, curriculum development and best practices in the delivery of education in Inuit language and culture” as well as the “development of key resources, professional development opportunities and networks that provide for a system of supports to Inuit educators,” according to NTI.

“On International Inuit Day I am very pleased to announce the establishment of the Inuktut Education Innovation Fund. As Inuit, we are creative, capable and the experts of our language and culture,” NTI President Aluki Kotierk said on Nov. 7. “This fund provides an opportunity for Inuit to use our skills and knowledge to take innovative measures to create an education system that is reflective of our distinct and rich language and culture.”