Statements in Debates
I mentioned a little bit of this yesterday, as well. The current students of these programs will be given the opportunity to complete their program at Aurora College, but there will be no new intakes, as was mentioned. Former students will also be given the opportunity to complete these programs. Aurora College staff are providing students with the support staff they need to ensure that they have the best chances for successful completion of the program that they're in. Potential future students, as I mentioned yesterday, we are meeting with our access program students to help them align with...
We will get that information to the Member as well as with the report, when it is finally done, and get committee's comments on the report, as well as looking forward to the future work of all our postsecondary institutions here in the Northwest Territories. That includes Dechinta as well as College nordique. We do have partnerships with them. We do fund them.
As I mentioned, we will be developing a new overarching legislation for postsecondary education here in the Northwest Territories that will have positive impacts on all of our postsecondary institutions.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this moment, I can't commit to putting anything that has any dollars to it in the House here, but we will have those discussions, moving forward from when we see that report and what is needed and then look at, if we do decide to do a pilot, which community it is. Inuvik would be great.
Currently, we are going through the Aurora College strategic plan, and we have yet to see what the outcome is with that report. The discussions can continue from there. Once we see that report and it is tabled in the House, then we can have those discussions.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We have made those investments, fully funding junior kindergarten moving forward, so it's not on the backs of children. We work with the school boards to ensure that they get the support they need for student best outcomes, best student success for Northern residents, right from our smallest communities to here in Yellowknife. Those decisions are also made by the school board, how they take that funding that we give them and allocate it in the school system.
As I've said in the House on many occasions, we do give $152 million to all the education boards. How they choose to budget line items within those dollars that we give them is up to the education board.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Range Lake that Bill 16, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the first time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
As soon as the Budget Address was completed last week, our staff made phone calls to all the superintendents and was working out a plan moving forward. Of course, with the new funding that was announced, we're going to want to meet and talk with all the school boards and have them present information to parents as well. We, as a department, are going to be sending out letters to all parents as well who have junior kindergarten students, as well as information packages.
Yes, our department will work with Public Works and Services on that report and provide it to the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe staff from my department had met on November 29th with the Aboriginal Head Start staff, staff at the K'atlodeeche School, as well as the school principal. I myself wrote a letter to the chief of K'atlodeeche First Nation and had asked him if he wanted to meet to address some of the concerns that he was asking. I believe I sent that letter out last month in January. I can look at the date again and see if we can set up a meeting.