Simon Scales Back Role with Amaujaq Centre; ITK Seeks Education Committee Chair

Press Release –

The Board of Directors of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) is seeking expressions of interest from Inuit to serve as Chair of the National Committee on Inuit Education (NCIE), which directs the work of ITK’s Amaujaq National Centre for Inuit Education.

The call comes following a decision earlier this year by Mary Simon, the inaugural Chair of the committee, to scale back her role with the Amaujaq Centre as the work evolves into executing targeted projects connected with implementation of the National Strategy on Inuit Education.

ITK President Terry Audla will serve as Interim Chair until the ITK Board appoints a new chair later this year. Simon will continue to be available for activities where her presence can continue to assist in drawing attention to ongoing needs and galvanizing action.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to convey our immense gratitude for the time and effort Mary has spent in leading the development of the National Strategy on Inuit Education and building the Amaujaq Centre,” Audla said.

“Her enormous commitment to Inuit education has helped to spark a national conversation on the role parents play in getting kids to school and keeping them in school. She has advanced our discussion on developing a unified writing system for our language – something that has the potential to increase our ability to communicate and share materials across Inuit Nunangat by leaps and bounds.”

Simon served as President of ITK from 2006-2012 but continued in her role as Chair of the NCIE, which has representation from all Inuit organizations and governments with a responsibility for Inuit education. The NCIE, under Simon’s leadership, drafted the landmark National Strategy on Inuit Education, and created the Amaujaq Centre to serve as the national coordinating body charged with implementing the strategy’s 10 recommendations.

Visit www.amaujaq.ca to see full details. Expressions of interest will be considered by the ITK Board of Directors in November.