The Principal of the school in Natuashish is offering some clarification on concerns recently raised by George Rich about teacher allocations and resources at the school.

Jesse Smith says the Mushua Innu School in Natuashish has 83 high school students and nine teachers who deliver various courses.

There is one teacher vacancy at the high school level, and efforts are underway to have the English teacher position filled.

Smith says rather than sending high school English students home as has been suggested, the students have work sheets and are being sent to the library to complete their reading assignments.

Smith says they’re also working on filling other staff vacancies at the school.

Earlier Story

Questions are being raised about the recruitment and retention of high school teachers on the north coast of Labrador.

George Rich is with the Innu Nation and says both his son and grandson are in their last year of high school in Natuashish.

Rich says several times since the school year started, high school students have been sent home because there have been no teachers available to teach them. He says the high school has ten students, and three teachers, but two of the positions are currently vacant.

It’s not a good situation for students hoping to graduate this year according to Rich.

His son and grandson tell him they want to leave Natuashish so they can finish school.

Rich says leaving the community is not an option for his family. The nearest school to Natuashish is a 77 km flight away in Nain.