Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier I spoke of student success in the dimensions of western and cultural education, and my questions are for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is: how does the Department of Education, Culture and Employment support education authorities as well as individual schools when they want to develop unique cultural programming for their students? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. First and foremost, we do fund all of the education authorities on an annual basis throughout the Northwest Territories. One of our goals is ensuring that all students are grounded in the reach and diverse history, cultures, language, and heritage of our peoples. As we fund our education authorities, they are encouraged to develop local and regional courses and resources that do focus on culture, heritage, and languages, and we continue to support them.
One other way that we do that is through Elders in Schools. Not only our students, but our teachers, as well: teachers have the opportunity to develop and participate in cultural orientation days. Further to our support for our teachers who work with our students throughout the Northwest Territories, they go through an orientation during our New to the North conference on a yearly basis as well as the work that we do with the NWT Teachers' Association around professional development.
That is a good piece of information. Mr. Speaker, I understand the department is working on revisions to the Aboriginal Language and Culture Based Education Directive. I would like to get a status from the Minister on that.
In the 18th Assembly mandate, the GNWT did commit to implementing a renewed directive to strengthen the role of schools in supporting Indigenous language development and cultural programming as well as the TRC's call to actions that address supporting the development of culturally appropriate curricula and the protection of the rights of Indigenous languages, including the teaching of Indigenous languages. We are well into that. As an update for this directive that we are working on, called the NWT JK to Grade 12 Indigenous Languages and Education Policies and Procedures, that will begin being phased into all schools beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year.
I appreciate the status from the Minister. The Northwest Territories uses an Alberta curriculum. Can the Minister describe what kind of alterations and allowances are made to ensure that northern students are able to see themselves and their cultures reflected in their school experiences?
Yes. As I mentioned earlier, we are very big on supporting culture, heritage, languages in our schools and support our education authorities to deliver these programs. We have made some improvements, such as Elders in Schools, and that has been working very well. We continue to work with Alberta, as you mentioned. As I mentioned in the House, we have really great partnerships with the Minster of Education from Alberta. We are currently participating in working groups on the renewal of the Alberta curriculum that will help them promote culture and Indigenous languages in their schools, but promote how we learn here as Northerners in the Northwest Territories. We have Northern Studies 10, which is reflective of our way of life in the Northwest Territories, as well as Northern Studies 20, which we are currently developing. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nunakput.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the response. Mr. Speaker, my last set of questions: I asked the Minister for a toe, and I did not get that. Mr. Speaker, we talked about culture exchanges between territories and provinces, and, Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important to learn from each other in prospective communities across the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, my question to the Minister is: does the department support the cultural exchange between students in the communities across the territory? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Our education authorities or education bodies currently receive about $9 million from ECE to promote cultural activities, heritage activities, as well as things such as drumming, sewing, beading, traditional classes in traditional practices that we have had over the years. The elders in the schools provide a big opportunity to help teach the traditions, not only traditions and skills, but the values of our ancestors in the schools today as well as working on revitalizing our Indigenous languages. We continue to work with all of our education bodies and support our schools in promoting those programs, on-the-land programs, as well as, as I mentioned, teaching those values that we have lived so long by and will continue to do so. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Hay River North.
