Jackson Lafferty

I would love to hear from the communities, ideas and suggestions on how we can improve our overall education system. We are currently at the framework stages and are engaging the stakeholders to develop an action plan. That will be tabled in this House in the February/March session. Even after that, it is a working document. We are always making change to our policies. We are always making change to our programming. I will be open to those ideas that can benefit the North. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I will just again reiterate some of the findings. Long-term studies found that academic gains of entry to school will shorten a very few years at the beginning, but pay out significantly later in adolescence and adulthood. Those are just some of the school completion learning having an effective lifestyle.

When it comes to a proposed junior kindergarten, we have to work with the DEAs and DECs as well. We are working closely, of course, with Health and Social Services, as well, because it will have very positive ripple effects into our communities. These are just the preliminary...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I will certainly take that question. The Members referred to how parental involvement can happen along with Educational Renewal and Innovation Initiative. Those are just some of the areas that it’s captured, part of the recommendations that will be coming forward and action plan. Through engagement with the Members and also the communities, regional groups, organizations, it is through their voice and input that they want us to improve the overall education system. So that’s what we are planning to do. In February during the session, I will table a document that highlights...

Mr. Speaker, we will be conducting research and see what we come up with and I will be sharing that with the standing committee. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, again, there are other research. We also have research from different jurisdictions as well. With some of the research, whether it be internationally or nationally, one we have specifically is on a UK study, Effective Provision of Pre-school Education, a large long-term study. A year more of early childhood education makes a big difference to children. These are just some of the areas that we continue to focus as part of Education, Culture and Employment. It is not only my department, I’m working very closely… We even partner with the Department of Health and Social Services...

As I stated earlier, we’re open to ideas and suggestions, but this is the first time I’ve heard about Grade 13 through the engagement that we’ve had. It hasn’t been brought up but it’s been brought up now, so we can have that part of our discussion. I know that Ontario had Grade 13 before, and they got away from that, so we have to find out the pros and cons at that level, as well, but surely we can take those into consideration as we move forward. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Those are some of the assessments that we have conducted throughout the Northwest Territories, working very closely with Alberta Education. As part of the process, of course, we need to find out where the students are at. There are some challenges, as the Member alluded to. Due to that reason, we have developed two of the biggest files, the Early Childhood Development Framework, along with the action plan being developed, and also the Education Renewal Initiative and Innovation Framework and action plan to follow, which involves those DEAs, NWTTA and other parties from the...

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I wish to table the following document, entitled Government of the Northwest Territories Annual Report on Official Languages 2012-2013. Mahsi.

Yes, school calendar and scheduling has been part of some of the schools. Now we have to coordinate with the DEAs and DECs, because some of the schools, as the Member alluded to, there are success stories and some of the students are moving on to post-secondary and coming back and working for the Northwest Territories. There are success stories. Based on that, the school calendars and the scheduling, we have to take those into consideration, as well, on the education renewal and working with the DEAs and DECs as well as our true partners.

Mahsi. When I said evaluating the whole situation, obviously we have to do our homework. The Beaufort-Delta provided us valuable information that we can move forward on. As a department, we’re working very closely with other DEAs and DECs in the regions. We may not cover all isolated communities, but we want to capture as much as we can, at least one per region as a start. I want to move forward on this through the business planning process and the action plan that’s going to be delivered in this House. It will be captured. Mahsi.