Bilingual Education Strategy and Language of Instruction Initiatives in Nunavut

The Department of Education is dedicated to working toward a strong Inuit language presence in schools in Nunavut. As a result, the Government of Nunavut has commissioned a series of reports, which form the Bilingual Education Strategy for the territory. These reports recommend ways in which Nunavut, its communities and its residents, can contribute to the creation of students who are strong bilingual Inuktitut-English speakers.

The strategy recommends several models of instruction that best fit a variety of situations. Depending on the level of language loss, a community assesses where they fit and can choose the appropriate model to be used in their schools.

Language of Instruction Strategy

Information sessions with each DEA, community consultations, and information sessions for school staff on language of instruction models were completed in 2007-08. Communities established Language Committees to assist with the selection of models and development of long-term staffing plans for their schools. Next steps involve developing long term staffing plans and providing in service on language instruction for teachers.

The three models for the Language of Instruction initiatives are:

The Qulliq Model

This model has been identified as the one likely meet the needs of most Nunavut communities where Inuktitut is the first language of the community. The focus of this model is that it supports Inuktitut as the main language of instruction through Grade 8. The focus of this model is to build strength and confidence in Inuktitut. Instruction at the K to Grade 3 level provides 100% instruction in the community's Inuit language. Grades 4 to 8 gradually integrate English (or French) for two periods per day, with main academics taught in the Inuit language. Grades 9 to 12 maintains equal Inuit Language/English or French instruction to provides students with a balanced bilingual competence.

Inuinnaqtun Immersion Model

This model was developed for communities that have experienced profound language loss. The focus of this model is to reverse this loss and provide strong bilingual speakers upon graduation. Students entering Kindergarten are provided with instruction in a total Inuit Language-immersion environment. The majority of instruction is in Inuit language through elementary, gradually moving to a 50-50 split, Inuit English language instruction in later grades.

Two-Way Bilingual Model

This model is designed for communities who have a large base of strong English first language speakers (non-native). It integrates Inuit and non-Inuit language speakers into classrooms that use both languages for instruction (separate classes or on separate days) so each group learns the other's language. This method suggests having most of the day spent teaching in Inuktitut in the early grades, moving toward a 50-50 split of Inuktitut and English in later grades.

To learn more about Bilingual Education in Nunavut, please contact your local regional School Operations office:

You can also find additional information on our FAQ page.