Aboriginal teachers' program maintains success

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A major factor to the improving quality of on-reserve education in various parts of Canada can be traced back to a third floor office in the education building on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

Orest Murawsky, the director of the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP), is obviously pleased with the program's results.

"ITEP has been here (University of Saskatchewan) since 1973," he said. "We are a foundational program for First Nations/Aboriginal students."

The program is four years in length and is run out of the College of Education with graduates getting a bachelor of education degree.

"We are funded year by year - for the last 28 years. There is not another program like this. We are an anomaly," he added.

Ken Jacknicke, dean of the College of Education, also believes the program is a leader in its field.

"ITEP is a flagship program for Aboriginal education in this country. It is arguably one of the most successful Aboriginal teaching education programs in Canada," he said.

The ITEP program runs on a budget, which is granted on a year-to-year basis from the federal government. It receives no direct funding from the provincial government, from the University of Saskatchewan or from any First Nation community.

"For the last 15 years, we have received the same amount," added Murawsky.

ITEP has a staff of eight, and the program will take in 75 students again this year. To date, there have been more than 700 bachelor of education degrees conferred upon ITEP graduates and "most have stayed in the province and moved to First Nation controlled institutions," Murawsky said.

The four-year teacher education program has seen its graduates go on to a variety of jobs. Most will return to a reserve to teach, Murawsky said, but "it's not for the tax break."

"We have students that have given up prominent positions to come to school here. Some were directors or high-level executives but they have made a commitment to their own people - I'm convinced of that."

How do you measure the success of a program that is funded annually?

"Based on our graduates," Murawsky said. "If our grads are successful, that means that we have been successful in training and educating them. The number of chiefs that are graduates of the program is phenomenal and education is always their emphasis. We feel that we have been very supportive of that. We don't measure our success in research dollars attained but in successful graduates."

ITEP does not limit its enrollment to Saskatchewan students.

"We have an agreement with Aurora College in the Northwest Territories which covers the Central and Western Arctic. ITEP has about 20 students a year from Aurora, he said. "This broadens the scope of the University of Saskatchewan to the Western Arctic ocean and we have done this for the last 17 years."

Over the years, ITEP has seen many generations of family members filter through the program.

"We have had grandparents, then their children, then the grandchildren come through, even aunts and uncles coming here, and sometimes they come at the same time," he said.

Murawsky has been with ITEP for nearly 30 years.

"ITEP began with a director and councillors who were all Aboriginal, and this trend has continued today as six of the eight staff are Aboriginal.

"We are a low-key, low-profile program," said Murawsky. "We are not political. We don't get involved in university, provincial or First Nation politics or research, because our focus is on teacher education and preparation. We follow a triangle model - the program, the teacher and the child. That is all."

He said the future goals for ITEP include tripling the intake of students, expanding the secondary program, having a stronger Elder in residence program and building onto the Native Resource Centre.