Jackson Lafferty

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Again, I’m just congratulating the Beaufort-Delta for their e-learning. It’s been very successful to date even though it’s a short timeframe that they’ve initiated the project. Now, we must congratulate them as well. This particular e-learning is new to us even though we’ve used it in other jurisdictions and with best practices from other countries as well.

In the process of the business planning cycle, we work closely with the school boards and they identify their budget for the whole year. As part of that could be the e-learning that the Beaufort-Delta can establish as...

Mahsi. Those are some of the areas that we are currently collecting data, the stats from the school boards. We need to identify what’s working and what’s not working. I fully agree with the Member that we need to re-evaluate inclusive schooling within our school system. This is an area where my department is working very closely with the school boards and we need to fix that issue, some of the areas that need enhancement. So those are key areas we are looking for. Mahsi.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. This whole inclusive schooling has been a topic of discussion within our department and with our regional partners, local partners, educational, NWTTA and other partners that are involved. We’ve done the review through the program review office because we have to do our review via the office of the Auditor General as well.

So some of the recommendations came out that we knew we were working within our department and working with the school boards. So, through the Education Renewal, it’s been highlighted as part of the initiatives that we need to roll that into our Education...

Mahsi, Madam Chair. I’d like to thank the Members for their hindsight of all the discussion that’s been taking place, even the three communities that we’ve talked about and even beyond that. Even thanking the students that have been actively engaged. It does take courage for these students to stand up and speak their mind, so I’d like to thank them for that as well.

I totally agree with the Members when they say this is the first step, an NWT safe schools plan. We also need partnerships, building on our success, the program that is being delivered. I agree with all those, and the code of...

Mr. Speaker, educational change, without question, is one of the most critical initiatives we must enact in the NWT. The Education Renewal and Innovation Initiative has been underway for approximately a year, and we are seeing some exciting directions emerge for true foundational change.

This work will create a different way of teaching our youth. It will involve partnerships, improved relationships between communities and schools, and a focus on helping our children develop a strong sense of identity. It will support our educators and lifelong learners to renew authentic learning experiences...

Madam Chair, with your permission, I’d like to ask one of the witnesses to join me at this table.

Yes, please.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Members for speaking to this point on the motion that was brought forward. I would like to thank the Member, Mr. Bromley, for his continuous support and also the Regular Members as well.

Early childhood learning and provision of quality child care in the NWT, of course, has been at the forefront of our goals and objectives. Healthy, educated people free from poverty is one of the goals of this Assembly and it starts in a child. We have to recognize achieving our goals for our people depends on a strong economy. I’ve heard that from some of the...

We’ll definitely do that with the community of Hay River and also the surrounding small communities that the Member alluded to earlier.

There has been a survey in the past, when we started the discussion on grade extension. We can reopen that dialogue with the communities, especially with the parents. I would like to hear from the parents, the school board chairs, the superintendents, the educators and the grandparents how they feel about having regional high schools in another part of the community to send their kids over there. By all means, I will be more than happy to have this dialogue happening in the communities through the school board chairs and the school board directors.