New Certification Pathway Will Support Indigenous Languages Revitalization

June 11, 2026

The Ontario College of Teachers (the College) has been working with the Ministry of Education and First Nations, Métis and Inuit partners to develop a new pathway for prospective Indigenous languages teacher candidates to become Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) in Indigenous Languages.

The new model is supported by a community endorsement pathway, authorizing First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities to establish endorsement circles or committees to assess and endorse Indigenous language teacher candidates to the College for certification.

On June 11, 2026, College Council approved a motion for College and Ministry staff to draft regulations that will put this licensure pathway into practice. Before the pathway can be implemented, draft regulations must be brought back to Council for consideration.

What is a community endorsement circle and how will it work?

The community endorsement model will allow communities to assess and endorse Indigenous language teacher candidates for certification without the prerequisite of completing an initial teacher education program.

Following an endorsement, Indigenous language teacher candidates can apply to the College. If certified, the candidates would become OCTs in Indigenous Languages and would be permitted to teach the Indigenous languages for which they have been endorsed in Ontario’s publicly funded school system.

Why this change?

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit languages are spoken in Ontario, and several are taught in schools, including Oneida, Mohawk, Ojibwe, Cree, and Inuktitut. However, Indigenous languages are at risk due to the impacts of residential schools, the aging remaining population of fluent speakers and the low number of certified Indigenous language teachers.

This new certification pathway will remove barriers for Indigenous language teachers and create more opportunities for Indigenous languages to be promoted and preserved.

The College recognizes our many partners in this work, including the Ministry of Education, First Nation, Métis, Inuit sharing session partners, and the Chiefs of Ontario.

More information about this priority initiative will be shared as it becomes available.