Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Pre-Budget Submission 2019: Education Recommendations
6. Post-secondary education: Higher levels of educational attainment are linked to greater social and economic outcomes yet only 14 percent of Inuit have a college or university degree compared to 42 percent of non-Indigenous Canadians. Targeted federal investment in post-secondary education is needed to help close this gap and enhance Inuit earnings, employment, health and wellness.
ITK submitted a funding proposal to Indigenous Services Canada in September 2018 entitled Inuit Post-Secondary Education: Raising Education Rates that targets the areas required to remedy the multi- faceted barriers to post-secondary educational attainment among Inuit that were documented through the post-secondary program review undertaken by the department following Budget 2017. In order to remedy these challenges ITK is seeking a federal investment of $415 million over 10 years plus $2 million for a ramp-up year (2019-2020), with full implementation to begin in 2020-2021.
7. Inuktut language: ITK is engaged in the co-development of national First Nations, Inuit, and Metis languages legislation with the Government of Canada. Through this initiative we seek to close gaps in resourcing for Inuktut across Inuit Nunangat, especially for the regions of Nunavik and Nunatsiavut that do not currently enjoy federal or provincial financial support for Inuktut.
Budget 2019 should address these issues and invest in priorities identified by Inuit that lay the groundwork for this important bill, including through the following:
Per-pupil Inuktut funding for K-12 language of instruction in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut, that achieves equivalency in per pupil spending for French and English.
Investment in the provision of Inuktut language services, as well as revitalization, maintenance, and promotion activities, in Nunavik and Nunatsiavut, through bilateral agreements with Makivik Corporation and the Nunatsiavut Government.
https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ITK_Pre-Budget-Submission-2019_05.pdf