Northland transition upsets NORTEP students

Students in Saskatchewan’s Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP) say the provincial government has broken its promise of a smooth transition to governance under Northlands College.

In mid-March, Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Advanced Education announced that Northlands College, which serves several communities in the region, will take over control of NORTEP and the Saskatchewan Northern Professional Access College (NORPAC). The province announced in July 2016 that the programs’ funding of roughly $3.4 million would be redirected. Students and faculty spoke out against the cuts.

The NORTEP program provided free tuition, books and a living allowance to any student who had lived in the north for 10 years or half their lifetime. In a March 2017 news release, the government said these students would “experience minimal changes.” Northlands College made similar claims in another news release in March.

In early April, an advertisement for Northlands classes listed tuition and book fees, but made no mention of funding for northern students.

Amie Bell, president of the program’s student association, said students were “caught off guard,” especially given promises made by the government and Northlands.

“They have yet to keep these promises,” Bell said.

Bell called for more communication between the two institutions and the students.

“There has been a very wide gap between all of us,” she said.

The council representing NORTEP through the transition selected the Gabriel Dumont Institute as its new governance partner in December, but the government chose Northlands College. NORTEP officials made it clear from the outset that they wanted the program to remain autonomous and retain its funding.

A committee of representatives from the Gabriel Dumont Institute, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina was established to provide “quality assurance, teacher education experience and indigenous engagement expertise.”

Following Wednesday’s legislative session, Advanced Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre said the committee’s first meeting, which took place Wednesday, was a “positive first step.” She said some of her comments were “mischaracterized” in a release sent out by the students’ association.

“I understand that this is an emotional issue for students and I just urge them to get in touch and talk through their concerns about the transition,” she said.

Eyre denied that students have been left out of the transition process. She said while the transition is still in its “early days,” she feels it is working. Eyre noted Thursday in the legislature that every transition has “some kinks,” adding that remaining NORTEP students will be “automatically accepted” into Northlands.

“We have every faith that the advisory committee and all the parties involved, including NORTEP, through this transition process ... will work together in the best interest of students in the North,” she said.