Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Is the Minister aware of the wide range of financial literacy courses available through the Junior Achievement Program?
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We do provide financial literacy programs through our high school programming. Part of that is Grade 10 in career and life management studies and grades 10 to 12 financial management, career and technology studies. These are just some of the areas that we are currently delivering in our high schools.
Not only that but we’ve reached out to community learning centres, as well, across the Northwest Territories to deliver financial literacy, and also through different departments, such as career development officers, client service officers and probation officers. Those are some of the case officers that also went through the process and delivered the financial literacy courses in the regions and all the communities. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I’m going to ask the Minister again, is he aware of the wide range of financial literacy available through the Junior Achievement Program? Is the Minister willing to support a pilot project in the upcoming school year where the Junior Achievement volunteers – not paid, volunteers – offer courses to elementary or high school students? Because the Sahtu Educational Board wants this program to know what the Minister is talking. We want a Grade 8 program. Is the Minister willing to look at that?
I wasn’t aware of the new program that’s out there. If the Member is willing to share that information, by all means, we can certainly look at it. Mahsi.
At one time this Junior Achievement Program did operate in the Northwest Territories and they stopped. Now the president of the program from northern Alberta NWT chapter of Junior Achievement has confirmed they are not currently, but they want to be, involved again in the Northwest Territories. So I’m glad that the Minister has indicated…
Will he direct his staff to contact the Northern Alberta and NWT Chapter of Junior Achievement and start kicking up the dust so that we can have a pilot project in the Northwest Territories? We have a volunteer here in the Northwest Territories willing to do that type of work. Will the Minister commit to this House that this will be done and prepared to look at it for the fall session of school for the kids?
We went through all the options that we have: career and life management studies, financial management, career technology course studies that we currently deliver to top it off with other programming. So we have to weigh our options, what’s the best way to deliver those financial literacy courses into communities, into regions. So by all means, if that information is shared with us, we can seriously look at it and see what options we can work with. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Mr. Speaker, our children today are challenged with financial literacy. There’s money coming out. It’s going to be a bigger issue for them if they do not have the financial literacy. I think it’s key in today’s world that we give the children the opportunity to learn how to work with money, otherwise we’ll continue to have poverty in the Northwest Territories. We have to do this for our children.
I want to ask the Minister again, you know, in regards to the financial literacy by this junior program. Is he going to be pushing strong, this department, this government, to look at volunteers – not paid, volunteers – to come into our schools and provide this free of charge in light of the financial restraint that our Finance Minister is telling us of? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
When it comes to financial literacy, the courses that are being delivered in high school, the purpose of financial modules is to provide our residents with the knowledge, skills and abilities required to manage their finances from young adults right through retirement. Where Members were referring to providing tools to these individuals, we are currently providing those modules in our schools. There are 11 different modules, such as managing debt, mortgages, retirement, bank accounts, banking and credit. So these are some of the core courses we are currently delivering. At the same time, if there are other programming or courses that are available, such as Junior Achievement, we can look at it, as well, as part of our literacy course options into our school system.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
