Daniel T'seleie
Northern News Services

Spence Bay (June 20/05) - Netsilik school will have three new Inuit teachers next school year.

On June 10, Annie Oleekatalik, Eunice Panigayak and Peggy Ittunga celebrated their graduation from Nunavut Arctic College's Nunavut Teacher Education Program (NTEP). All three received a bachelor's degree in education.

The four-year program was offered at the Arctic College in Taloyoak and uses courses from McGill University.

"It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," Oleekatalik said.

She heard about the program and was encouraged to join by a teacher at the Arctic College, where she was upgrading her high school courses.

"I wasn't planning on it, but I joined," Oleekatalik said. "I'm so glad I did."

Panigayak also said the program went well. She worked as a classroom assistant for 11 years in the past.

"I'm used to teaching," she said.

Up to now she did not have a degree. Having a family, it would be hard for her to take the four-year program in Iqaluit.

When she got the chance to get her degree in Taloyoak, she jumped on it.

Language skills

With the three graduates, Netsilik will have seven Inuktitut speaking teachers at the school next year.

This will allow the school to expand its Inuktitut immersion program into Grade 3, said school principal Gina Pizzo.

The program is only offered from kindergarten to Grade 2 now.

"Most kids come to school speaking English as their first language," Pizzo said.

There has been "great demand" from the community to have more Inuktitut programs available to the school's 270 students, Pizzo said.

Oleekatalik and Panigayak both agree it is important to have Inuktitut in the classroom.

They each know all the children who will be in their classes next year.