The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

Yukon Native Teacher Education Program. Teachers must belong to the Yukon
Teachers’ Association (YTA), the professional organization and bargaining agent
for administrators and teachers.
French-speaking residents account for 11 percent of the Yukon’s total
population. The Commission Scolaire Francophone du Yukon (CSFY) was
established as the territory’s francophone school board in 1996, and has fi ve
elected members. The CSFY offers education for personal growth and cultural
identity to francophone learners in the Yukon. The CSFY administers École
Émilie-Tremblay, the Yukon’s only French fi rst language school. In 2002-03,
approximately 110 students attended École Émilie-Tremblay, with 10 teachers and
two educational assistants. A CSFY initiative entitled Community Partnership in
Education focuses and directs the francophone community’s interest, initiatives,
and energy in education. The group has held forums, public consultations, and
regular meetings to collaborate on community needs related to education. The
school and the board are funded by the Secretary of State and Heritage Canada.
French immersion and French second language programs are in place in most
Yukon schools.
Nunavut teachers are represented by the Federation of Teachers of Nunavut,
which promotes public education, defends the interests of its members, advocates
for excellence and professionalism, and negotiates collective agreements. The
Federation supports the establishment of partnerships in schools that promote the
Qaujimajatuqangit Inuit and the quality of education for the children and young
ones of the Nunavut.
Teachers in the Northwest Territories must hold a valid teaching certifi cate
from a province or Yukon Territory and must meet the requirements set out in the
Education Act (1996), which stipulates that all Northwest Territories teachers must
renew their teaching certifi cates every fi ve years. In addition, teachers with more
than fi ve, but fewer than 10 years of teaching experience must successfully complete
a Bachelor of Education degree. In 1999, 95 percent of Yellowknife teachers, 86
percent of regional centre teachers and 75 percent of community teachers held
degrees. Teachers who hold a degree must complete 120 hours of professional
development over each fi ve-year period.
The Education Act requires that all school principals either have, or must
complete, a Northwest Territories four-week two-stage teaching certifi cation
programme within the fi rst two years of their appointment; in 1996-97, 40 percent
of school principals were certifi ed.
In 1998, the Ministry of Education employed approximately 640 teachers,
15 percent of whom (95) were Aboriginal. To better service Aboriginal students
between the ages of fi ve and 19 years (91 percent in communities, 67 percent
in regional centres and 30 percent in Yellowknife), Aboriginal educators must
constitute 62 percent of the teaching force.
The Aurora College Teacher Education Program is training Aboriginal teachers
and language specialists to facilitate community capacity. In 1999, two thirds of the
Aurora College Teacher Education Program graduates were employed in education
in the Northwest Territories. In 1999, 61 percent of Northwest Territories teachers
had fi ve or more years of teaching experience. In community and regional centre
208 Section 4: The Atlantic Region