NUNAVUT
Adults wishing to complete their high school diploma will have the opportunity to do so under a new, individually-tailored program.
The Department of Education is developing the Pathway to Adult Secondary School Graduation (PASS), enabling adult students to meet Nunavut's high school graduation requirements and earn their diploma.
The process will be unique to every individual depending on their personal background experiences, such as adult basic education and completed high school courses.
"With their diploma in hand, more Nunavummiut will have access to university and college programs throughout Canada, opening up a world of possibilities," said Premier and Education Minister Eva Aariak in the legislature on Feb. 26.
She said it will also reduce poverty and qualify more residents for jobs.
Nunavut Teachers' Association president Robin Langill said he first heard of the initiative when a school principal asked him about media reports he had seen.
"NTA has not been consulted in any way on this or has not been kept in the loop. I know nothing about it," Langill said. "I can't comment on the contents of it because I don't know anything about it."
The territorial government is investing close to $1.9 million in 2013-14 for PASS, and are working with Nunavut Arctic College to implement it.
With PASS, adult students would earn the same diploma high school students complete but their paths toward achieving it will be developed to suit each individual's needs, said David Lloyd, the assistant deputy minister of education.
Courses could be done online or in a classroom, for instance, but the method of delivery still needs to be determined, said Lloyd.
He said the government hasn't determined how many students it will be able to accommodate in its first year, or the communities in which it will be available.
"We know there is a significant number of individuals, between 100 to 200 to 300 people, we know are very, very close to having completed their high school diplomas," said Lloyd. "We anticipate that will be our first intake. Those people will probably be the ones that will come in and get fast-tracked pretty quickly."
Other individuals, further away from completing the requirements to meet the high school diploma, might take a couple of years to go through the process, he added.
Those wishing to enroll must be at least 19 years old and out of the high school program for the calendar year to qualify, Lloyd said.
