In the schools of Nunavik, we are about to make a small revolution in the languages of instruction. If all goes as planned, within a few years students will complete their entire school career simultaneously in Inuktitut and in a second language.
For nearly 50 years, in schools north of 55e parallel, teaching is done only in Inuktitut from kindergarten to 2e year. In 3e year, students make the transition to the second language: French or English, depending on the parents’ choice. All the rest of their schooling is then done in this second language.
Except that the transition is difficult, notes Alaku Kulula, assistant director of mother tongue education programs at the Kativik School Board. “They hit a wall,” she said in an interview by videoconference. They’re super good, but they still struggle. »
Lise Deschênes, French as a second language teacher in 4e5e and 6e years at the Sautjuit school in Kangirsuk, sees for herself the difficulty of teaching all the basic subjects in a language that the young people do not yet master.
When they arrive in 4e year, they have forgotten the notions learned in 3e year and struggle to understand “What’s your name? “, she explains. So, teaching mathematics, science, plastic arts and the social universe in French is “pretty impossible”.
To ensure that her students understand certain concepts, she often has no choice but to turn to English, the common language. They learn quickly, she says, unreservedly praising the intelligence of her students.
Our students arrive at post-secondary and do not feel ready
But despite their best efforts, students never fully catch up, school board officials say. In 2021, experts evaluated the implementation of the curriculum in Nunavik schools. “The result is very clear: our expectations in French and in English are below the expectations of second basic language programs,” summarizes Yasmine Charara, assistant director of second language educational services at the Kativik School Board. We have to take care of that because, in fact, our students arrive at the post-secondary level and do not feel ready. »
Consolidate Inuktitut
The other problem with the current model is that it does not allow students to sufficiently consolidate the learning of their mother tongue, Inuktitut.
New research shows that mastery of a child’s mother tongue plays a crucial role in learning other languages throughout life. It is also decisive for his academic success.
In light of these findings, the school board is considering how it could change things to strengthen both Inuktitut and the second language.
“We are reviewing our curriculum to ensure that our students have the required level,” summarizes the director general of the school board, Harriet Keleutak, in an interview by videoconference.
Discussions are going well, she said. The new curriculum could be implemented as a pilot project within two years in three Nunavik schools. From then on, students would do their entire school career in both languages, from kindergarten to 5e secondary.
Until then, Lise is trying to learn Inuktitut for better communication with her students. “I tried, I’m still trying,” she says. She would like to have an Inuktitut teacher herself, because she cannot trust her students, she learned the hard way. “At one point, the children made me say anything,” she says, laughing. The parents knew it, they were not happy. So I stopped asking the kids…”
This report was produced in part with the financial support of the Kativik School Board.