Wall of Honour Recipient Rita Mueller – Indigenous Education

Rita Mueller is the deputy minister of education, culture and employment for the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT). Prior to taking this role in the fall of 2019, she served for over five years as the assistant deputy minister of education and culture where she was responsible for early childhood development and learning, JK-12 education, culture and heritage, and the Indigenous Languages Secretariat.

In 1989, Rita began her career with the GWNT as a postsecondary summer student based out of Hay River and Fort Resolution. Rita later moved to Behchokǫ̀ to begin her teaching career and held a variety of positions at Chief Jimmy Bruneau School, including five years as a teacher and the remaining years as the school principal. After completing her MEd in Indigenous Land-based Education in the College of Education in 2010, Rita held a two year term as the chief executive officer for the Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency.

Well known and respected throughout the north, Rita has been responsible for a significant shift in the curriculum in NWT schools. She takes the time to meet with principals and school staff and is knowledgeable about the realities of the individual regions. Under her guidance, the NWT has developed Indigenized curriculums for social studies and science, has created high school courses for northern studies and Indigenous studies and has developed a curriculum for Indigenous Language instruction.

Rita was among the first cohort to graduate from the Indigenous Land-based Education program in 2010. In the ten years since, she has been an ambassador for the program and for the College of Education. She credits her learning in the MEd with helping her connect education to environmental protection and language and cultural preservation.