Starting this month, NWT students graduating high school will have their diplomas issued in every official language in the Territory.
This year’s graduating class will have their diplomas issued in English, French, and in their choice in an Indigenous language of their choosing. This is part of the GNWT’s efforts to preserve and promote Indigenous languages. By including the languages in high school diplomas, their hope is that they will become more common in everyday use.
Caitlin Cleveland, the Minister of Education, Culture, and Employment, spoke on the decision in its announcement.
“I am proud to introduce new trilingual diplomas for high school graduates and to take this meaningful step towards reconciliation and language revitalization in the Northwest Territories. This showcases and highlights the NWT’s official languages to our students, educators, and families, as well as to their future employers and post-secondary schools nationally and internationally. It is my hope that these new trilingual diplomas will be hung with pride for generations to come.”
Schools will be sharing more information on the language selection as graduation draws closer. If students are unsure of which language they would prefer, they will be given the option to use the language of their region instead.
