Northern education cut brings protesters to legislature
40-year-old education program nears the end
On the first day of the fall sitting inside the Saskatchewan Legislature, about 50 protesters gathered outside the building.
Many of them, students and teachers, travelled 600 kilometres from La Ronge angered over the province's impending cuts to a program that brings university courses to the north.
In light of the recent suicides in the north, third-year NORTEP education student Amie Bell says the timing couldn't be worse.
"It's a tragedy that these things are happening and it's a tragedy that the government is trying to take away one of the very highly looked upon aspects that northerners look forward to," said Bell.
Founded in 1976, the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP) was designed to create northern teachers by offering a university degree in La Ronge.
The province provides $3.4 million dollars in annual funding.
That helps provide bursaries for NORTEP students. It's financial aid that faculty and students say is critical in allowing impoverished northern students to get their education.
But Advanced Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre says that's not the case for other First Nations education programs.
Eyre says financial support needs to be "equitable" for northerners.
Still, she says given the recent suicides in the north, the province must ensure the program stays alive in some form.
"In light of what's going on up north and some of the challenges that are being faced, it's important we sustain it and make sure that NORTEP finds a good working partner," said Eyre.
While the province hasn't made a firm decision on what its plans are, one rumour has NORTEP merging with Northlands College, a technical college in La Ronge that also offers university programming.
Faculty and students are worried courses will be taught by teachers in southern Saskatchewan through video conferencing.
"I have friends that are being taught that way and they say it's just not the same," said Bell. "They have robots as teachers. There's no face to face interaction. It's relationship building. That student/teacher trust that is so important in the north."
The funding cut to the NORTEP program takes effect July 31, 2017.