Mr. Speaker, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is pleased to share news about the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative that we implemented to increase aboriginal students’ success across the Northwest Territories.
The department is working with superintendents, teachers and other departments and aboriginal organizations on a plan to close the gap in aboriginal student achievement. This school term we began work to increase student attendance because aboriginal students have a high rate of absenteeism overall. By the time they reach Grade 10, the average aboriginal student misses the equivalent of two years of school. We are supporting pilot projects in every school division in the Northwest Territories to address the need to increase student attendance.
An example of one of these projects is in Colville Lake school where students who attend school regularly and those with perfect attendance, participate in special activities like pizza and movie nights and computer nights in the school. There has been a marked improvement in the number of students with perfect attendance. Parents are making a more concerted effort to send their children to school in Colville Lake.
Another attendance project is in the K’alemi Dene School where staff initiated the Creative Trails Program to encourage students to attend school, to build relationships with the students and to increase knowledge and develop skills in northern arts and crafts. Every Wednesday after school, community elders, community artisans and teachers provide instruction to the students. The students continue with the projects on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. A lot of learning, laughter and relationship building is happening. Students have participated in doing Dene beading and are learning moose hair tufting, quilling, working with furs and making moccasins.
In addition to attendance projects, department staff are working with the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association and superintendents of divisional education councils to develop a culturally appropriate orientation for all new and beginning teachers. This will assist both teachers and parents to bridge the communication gap between home and school.
To get the message out in the community, we’ve launched a public advertising campaign. Communications materials talk about the importance of regularly attending school and explain the education system. To include youth in the campaign, the department has teamed up with CKLB Radio to have students in the community schools act as community reporters for CKLB Radio. Later this month, Mr. Speaker, we hope to have our youths’ voices hitting the airwaves sharing stories from communities across our Territory.
Mr. Speaker, the longer term goal of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Working Group is to develop and implement a territorial plan to help eliminate the achievement gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students.
I am pleased to let you know the department is meeting with its aboriginal student achievement partners on February 23rd to 24th in Yellowknife to do further work on the territorial plan on aboriginal education. The Aboriginal Student Achievement Working Group will submit a plan to me by April this year.
Mr. Speaker, this year we are diligently working to ensure we see healthy successful aboriginal students, with informed and involved parents and community education partners. I will keep the Members informed of the progress of the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
