Northern education cut brings protesters to legislature

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 600kilometres from La Ronge angered over the province's impendingcuts 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 lookforward 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'sfinancial 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 northand 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 hasNORTEPmergingwith NorthlandsCollege, a technical college in La Ronge that also offersuniversity programming.

Faculty and students are worried courses will be taught by teachers in southern Saskatchewan throughvideo conferencing.

"I have friends that are being taught that way and they say it's just not the same," said Bell. "They have robotsasteachers. There's no face to face interaction. It's relationshipbuilding. That student/teacher trust that is so important in the north."

The funding cut to the NORTEP program takes effect July 31, 2017.