The Education Act – Overview

Nunavut’s Education Act is the legislation that defines what K-12 education in Nunavut is, who is entitled to receive it, and how it must be carried out.

The new Education Act brings change that ensures the vision and beliefs about education held by Nunavummiut define our schools and the education provided to our students. These important changes include: bilingual education for all students, Inuit culture as the foundation for every aspect of our education system, greater local control with direct roles and responsibilities for District Education Authorities, and more support for students to stay engaged and succeed in their education.

The Education Act came into force on July 1, 2009.
More Information on the Education Act
The Education Act Legislation [Inuktitut] [English] [French]
The Education Act Table of Contents [Inuktitut] [English] [French]
(The Table of Contents for the Nunavut Education Act is not included in the official document. It can be accessed separately through this link.)

The Education Act Regulations are supplementary legislation on specific topics authorized by the Act. Regulations are in development for the new Education Act. You can find out more about the regulations, including those under development now and the schedule for regulations development.

Education Act Regulations
Education Act Implementation

Implementation of the Education Act through the operations of the Department of Education and all of the schools in Nunavut involves a range of training, communications and development activities. Information on current implementation initiatives can be found here.

Resources to better understand Nunavut’s Education Act:

The Summary of Changes to the New Education Act for Nunavut [Inuktitut] [Inuinnaqtun] [English] [French]
This resource outlines in plain language the key points of each part of the Education Act. It also identifies the sections that are “new”, or substantially different from past legislation.

Education Act: A Reference Guide for District Education Authorities and Principals [Inuktitut] [Inuinnaqtun] [English] [French]
This resource highlights in plain language the roles and responsibilities defined by the Education Act for principals and district education authorities (DEAs).

Education Act: A Reference Guide for the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut and Principals
[Inuktitut] [English] [French]
Very similar to the Guide above, this version describes the roles and responsibilities defined by the Education Act for the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut.

Education Act Coming-into-Force Order [Inuktitut] [English] [French]
This Order brings the Education Act into force, and identifies the dates that each section comes into force.

Transition Regulations [Inuktitut] [English] [French]
Detailing measures to smooth the transition from the old education Act to the new one, the Transition Regulations are in force only for the first school year.

Schedule of the delayed sections of the Education Act:

More on the Nunavut Education Act

The following will provide you with more details about how the Education Act came to be, what it says about K-12 education in Nunavut.

History

Since 1999, Nunavut has used the Northwest Territories’ Education Act. In 1999, the Department of Education began work on a new draft specific to Nunavut. Bill 1, the first draft of the made-in-Nunavut Education Act was introduced in 2002 and withdrawn from consideration by the Legislative Assembly in 2003.
Community consultations for this proposed Education Act began in late 2004. Every community in Nunavut was visited, with meetings with DEAs, teachers and the public. The three Regional Inuit Organizations and the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut (CFSN) were consulted, and a steering committee co-chaired by Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) met several times. The feedback provided at the various meetings and consultations served as the base for the draft legislation, ensuring that the Bill reflected the needs of Nunavummiut.

Highlights of the new Education Act:

• Commitment and support for Inuit language and culture by:
  • Making the Minister of Education, DEAs and school staff responsible for ensuring the education system is based on Inuit Societal Values and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit;
  • Mandating culturally appropriate school programs, curriculum and resources;
  • Dedication to bilingual education with the Inuit language, and increased support through language and culture programs for young children.

• More responsibility for District Education Authorities including:
  • Policy control of local delivery of education through Inuuqatigiitsiarniq and Registration and Attendance policies;
  • Joint oversight of principals and the school program;
  • Legislative recognition of and support for the DEA Coalition;
  • Open dialogue with the Minister, who has a duty to provide explanations for decisions affecting them, when requested;
  • Ability for DEAs to recommend Elders for certification and pay allowing recognition of their skills and experience.

• More teacher and staff support with:
  • At least one community counsellor, principal and student support teacher in every school;
  • Legislated professional development and orientation and mentorship programs;
  • Commitment to maintain a student-educator ratio below the national average, starting in 2011.

• Explanation of French minority rights under the authority of the Commission scolaire francophone du Nunavut.

• Creation of an annual report card to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly.

All of these points ultimately should provide a supportive and effective learning environment for students, and that's what matters the most!