Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today the Minister of Culture, Education and Employment did a Minister's statement on renewing the NWT education system, and, on page 3, she spoke about revising the school funding framework to provide resources to ensure no less than two full-time teacher positions are allocated to each school. This is a very important step, and I'd like to thank the Minister and the department for doing this. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise why this issue was not addressed before the start of the school year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Why it wasn't addressed at the start of the school year is because we just had the shuffle in the spring, April, I believe it was, so I had just taken on the portfolio of Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. It wasn't until the summer months, actually, that it was brought to my attention that we're not having more than one teacher in schools.
I do have to recognize the MLA, Shane Thompson, for bringing that to my attention. It was a serious concern of his and a serious concern of mine. Safety is number one. So, it took a little bit of time because it was brought to my attention during the summer, it took a little bit of time to look at the process, to get the approvals that we needed to, but, as soon as I heard about it, it was a priority. I apologize if it wasn't timelier than it could have been, but I am glad that we resolved the situation.
I thank the Minister for doing this. I appreciate her listening to the concerns and then working forward to help the students and the teachers, as well. So, can the Minister advise us when will the changes be implemented to ensure the physical safety and mental health for the students and teachers?
The decision just came through. It was around a month ago, actually, that I was allowed to make this decision. So, we phoned all of the education bodies. We notified them verbally. We're in the process now of doing written letters to them all advising and then reinstating the funding so that they'll have the full-year funding for the year.
I'm looking forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the students, the teachers, and the communities. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister be able to tell us will this change be a new policy moving forward, or is this just a one-time shot for this year?
We used internal funding for this year because I needed it done and I wanted it done now. However, we have talked, and so, we are putting together a proposal at this moment, and we'll be bringing it through the Financial Management Board for a decision for future funding.
Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I hope that the Financial Management Board will continue to support that because I think this is a very important initiative being brought forth by the Minister. So, can the Minister advise us: will this have an impact on the support staff, like the classroom assistants and language specialists?
Yes, it will have an impact. It's going to mean better support for the students within the schools. So, schools are still funded for a half-time position for a language instructor and also for program support. This is actually on top, this is actually more support for students, and it's about safety for our students. So it's a good thing, and I will do my best to make sure it's maintained. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
