Statements in Debates
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I’ve stated numerous times in this House that this whole Junior Kindergarten Program three-year phase rollout has been the voice of the North. We’ve been through various engagements. Through Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative a few years back, and then the Early Childhood Development Framework the action plan was brought to our attention, and also the education renewal innovation. There have been a lot of discussions that have happened. There has also been research throughout Canada and internationally. We brought those researchers here to Yellowknife so Members...
We have to look at all angles, how many professionals that we have in the communities that can deal with… We currently have some of the preschools and we have junior kindergarten being rolled out as part of the kindergarten program because some of the communities are very small, the facility themselves as well, so it will be part of the kindergarten and also junior kindergarten, part of the play area. Those are areas that we’re still identifying as we move forward, but it will be offset by those professions that are in the system and building on that.
Mahsi. The plan is to obviously roll out the program this school year, 2014, covering the 29 communities, which will offset the 10 communities that are here before us without child care programming. The following year will be, obviously, regional to Hay River and then the following year, the last phase of approach will be to cover the Yellowknife area. Mahsi.
Mahsi. Our role is we want to capture all students, all children as best as we can and that means covering all 33 communities, small communities and larger centres. As the Minister responsible for 33 communities, I want to capture those students, even the unborn students as well.
So we are going to be rolling it out to 29 communities and then the following year we’ll be in Hay River and the last phase will be to cover the Yellowknife sector. So this is an area that has been the prime focus. We are going to be rolling out this fall for the next three-year approach. Mahsi.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The Tlicho language is one of the prime examples, along with Fort Providence and the immersion programs and other communities who have initiated their own immersion programs as well. That’s part of our overall goals and objections in introducing junior kindergarten. They can work very closely with the learning communities, as well, when it comes to culture and language preservation. I agree with the Member that we would like to see all 33 communities deliver similar to what Tlicho have initiated. I support that. We need to work towards that. I believe the three-year phased...
The district education councils we’ve been engaged with have a considerable amount of authority in the present stages to make those decisions on education issues and programming in the communities and regions. The Education Act does not define them as autonomous. In fact, we have one education system and it’s paid entirely by the GNWT, with the exception of Yellowknife where approximately 18 percent for YK1 and 15 percent for YCS total revenue for municipal taxes. I would just like to highlight as Minister of Education, the buck stops here with me. I’m in charge and I’m acting in the best...
Mr. Speaker, I move, second by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that Bill 25, An Act to Amend the Education Act, be read for the second time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill amends the Education Act to provide the subject to regulation persons who are employed as superintendents are employed in the public service and makes corollary amendments to the Public Service Act to address the employment status of superintendents. This bill also clarifies the status of certain incumbent superintendents who would otherwise be affected by this amendment. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I have said on numerous occasions in this House that the department has been engaged with superintendents of all the school boards since last summer, and August 21, 2013, was our first, initial meeting we had last year, September 18th, November 27th and also January 22nd with the superintendents of all the school boards. So they’ve been fully engaged in our discussions and we will continue to have that dialogue with all the superintendents as we move forward for the next three years of our phased-in approach. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled “Aurora College Annual Report, 2012-2013.” Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mahsi. Let me be clear. We’re not wiping out the other programs. We’re enhancing the other programs that are in the communities and this is optional junior kindergarten programming for those individuals that cannot afford junior kindergarten in the communities. Ten communities without licenced child care programming, but we are going to be rolling out the program in 29 communities, the small, isolated communities that are without these licenced programming.
We are enhancing, yes there is preschool, there’s also Head Start programming. As I’ve stated in this House, we have an early childhood...