Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Continuing on with the theme of education, I’ll ask the Minister of Education a question in regard to the Aboriginal Student Achievement committees that he’s been talking about for quite a while. However, before I begin on that, I’d just like to apologize, as I forgot to recognize the Honourable Glen Abernethy, Public Works and Services, who attended the opening of Inuvik’s school as well.
Moving on, one of the questions that I had was in regard to the Aboriginal Student Achievement committees that have been working very hard over the past year to develop some initiatives into increasing our Aboriginal education in the small communities. What funding is allocated, if any, for these committees to make sure that their initiatives get started up this fall, this winter, or this spring? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. First, I’d like to commend the committee of Inuvik working on this ASA, one of the priorities of this government, my department.
The funding that we do provide through ASA, Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, is approximately $1.8 million for ASA initiatives to fund a number of activities such as literacy coaches, the libraries, the cultural orientation for all teachers, an ASA coordinator and also an Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative public awareness campaign. This also deals with those communities that are initiating their own committee to work with the Beaufort-Delta Department of Education as well. So it has been made clear. The Member made a statement in the House last time. I did make inquiries to the superintendent to work closely with the committee to make it a real successful project. So I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome of that. Mahsi.
Out of the $1.8 million to the ASA committees throughout the Northwest Territories and all the good work that’s going on within that money, how much of this money is actually being filtered into the initiatives that these committees have developed on their own, these innovative and unique initiatives that they’ve developed on their own? How much of that money is actually going into those programs so that we know that the work those committees are doing is not going unnoticed or not going unfunded or not being supported?
Again, this money is flowed through the Beaufort-Delta Board of Education, and the funding that flows through would consist of various activities that the committee can access, as well, through the Beaufort-Delta Board of Education. Also, working closely with my staff that deal with ASA, we are currently discussing that. At the current stage we’re establishing an ASA steering committee to deal with these matters because we want to support the local ASA committees, such as Inuvik. They are part of the school system and others that take on the responsibility on a volunteer basis. So we need to make this an effort and we are working towards that. So we establish a committee to work with them. Mahsi.
A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from one of the committee members asking about when funding will start flowing to their committee so the initiatives that they’re looking at implementing can actually start running. Can the Minister confirm that his department, his staff, is working with the Department of Education, the councils and with the ASA committees, that all three are working together so that the funding is actually going to initiatives that these committees have been working on for over a year now?
The simplest answer would be yes. If they haven’t done so, as of today they need to start working with my department, with BDAC, and also with the committee that’s been established. Not only the Beaufort-Delta but other regions as well. We need to support those individual committees on a volunteer basis doing what they can. They are committed so we need to support them. I’m a firm believer in that.
I’m also meeting with the board chairs in December. I will raise that issue, as well, that we need to start implementing. It’s a shared responsibility. We need to move forward and make it a successful project.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister provide me with some details on how many of these ASA committees have actually started implementing some of their action plans throughout the regions of the Northwest Territories, and if this side of the House will get a report on these committees and how many of them have actually implemented their action plan?
I’ll definitely provide the detailed information of the committee that’s been established. To date we do have three communities that are working towards implementing the ASA. I’ll provide that detailed information to the Members.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Weledeh, Mr. Bromley.
