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IQALUIT - A new advisory body will make recommendations on how to improve the education of Inuit across the country, it was announced last week.

ITK President Mary Simon, left, and Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl, right, sign their respective copies of the Inuit Education Accord. They are flanked by Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, top left, federal Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq, top centre, and Nunavut Education Minister Louis Tapardjuk. - Gabriel Zarate/NNSL photo

The federal government and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), Canada's national Inuit organization, have added their signatures to an agreement to establish a committee that will influence the way Inuit children are taught in schools across the country.

"All trails lead back to the success or failure of our education system," said ITK president Mary Simon. "If we are going to improve our health care system, and incorporate our own knowledge alongside modern health-care practices, we need to dramatically increase the number of Inuit nurses, midwives, and doctors in our system. If we are going to develop a world class wildlife co-management system that values Inuit knowledge, we need more Inuit policy makers and scientists. If we are going to develop an education system on par with the rest of Canada, producing bilingual graduates, proud of their Inuit heritage, we need more Inuit teachers and Inuit curriculum specialists, administrators and education scholars."

Other signatories to the Inuit Education Accord include Inuit organizations and governments of Inuit regions, including Nunavut. Several speakers pointed out how Inuit students benefit more from an education system which is specifically targeted toward their cultural needs, such as including elders in the classroom and an emphasis on bilingual education.

"Inuit curriculum in Inuit land makes learning more relevant," said Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak.

The National Committee on Inuit Education will consist of appointees from all its signatory organizations, although it has not yet been decided how many commissioners there will be or the number of representatives from each member group. The accord establishes the committee only for a year, after which its members will decide whether to renew the agreement.

The committee's recommendations will not be legally binding - that would infringe on the constitutional and treaty rights and responsibilities of the regional governments and Inuit organizations, according to Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl.