Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Education in regards to my Member’s statement in regards to the importance of developing curriculum for the students in the Northwest Territories. It is something that is meaningful to the students. Like I mentioned, the Beaufort-Delta Divisional Board of Education along with the Gwich’in and Inuvialuit have developed language curriculum to deliver in the schools in the Beaufort-Delta. That is one way I believe we can develop curriculum that is useful to the students, and more importantly, preserve their language and culture. Mr. Speaker, I think we also have to go a step further in regards to looking at the northern history, the history of the Aboriginal people in northern Canada, and more importantly, looking at the rights of indigenous people in northern Canada and understand those rights. What is the Minister’s department doing to revamp the curriculum we have in our schools so it is meaningful for the students and relates to the Northwest Territories and its history and the people that live here? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I can’t agree more with the Member that we need to integrate our northern perspective into our curriculum development. We need to work closely with Alberta. It’s through their jurisdiction that we continue to work on the curriculum development, because a part of the education program is under their jurisdiction as well, the curriculum development. But with the Northern Studies and Social Studies we have made some changes. We’ve produced some textbooks that reflect the Northwest Territories, the geographic areas of the whole Northwest Territories and the routes and some plans as well, so identifying those key areas. So we have started the initial stages, but we want to produce more of those textbooks, do more program development and also curriculum development that reflects the northern perspective. Mahsi.
Thank you. I’d like to add to the Minister’s comments and I think it’s a question of timing, and more importantly, it’s putting the resources into it. I noted, looking at our budget, that we’re putting a lot of money into French immersion, and more importantly, developing French programs and services in the Northwest Territories. But I think by making those investments, we’re losing sight of the most important component of that in the history of the Northwest Territories and indigenous people that live here and their history. I think one thing that I find, being in this House for almost 16 years, is that the uneducated public, which really doesn’t understand Aboriginal rights in the Northwest Territories or treaty rights and land claims rights that have been settled, regardless if it’s the old treaties or modern day treaties. That’s the stuff that we have to develop that’s useful and that people could be educated in and learn and really understand the issues in the Northwest Territories. So which arm of your department is doing the work to get this curriculum off the ground to get it into our classrooms?
Mahsi. It is our department that is responsible to deliver these programs into the schools. Again, I have to reiterate that we need to work with Alberta and also the DEAs and DECs. Having those initiatives, not only that, but the Aboriginal student achievement that’s underway, they’ve discussed that as well, having a residential school era in our school system, land claims, self-government. We’re introducing to our social program development area within the curriculum. So we are listening to the people and those will be written out after this fiscal year. It will take some time, but we will make those initiatives key priorities for this government. Mahsi.
Thank you. It’s good to develop curriculum and whatnot and put it into the schools, but we have to make it mandatory that people will actually take the course, learn the course and get credits for those courses. What I’d like to know is will those courses, regardless if it’s Northern Studies, Aboriginal studies, that it be mandatory in all high schools in the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
That will be the discussion we need to have. In the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, that’s been highlighted as well, that it be mandatory for the students to take those specific courses whether they be Aboriginal students or non-Aboriginal students. So those are discussions that we’re having, ongoing discussions. We still have two forums to attend and then the final package will reflect on that as well. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Your final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to ask the Minister to keep us abreast in regard to where this is going and give us updates whenever possible. So I’d like to ask the Minister for ongoing updates on where the progress of this is going. Thank you.
Mahsi. I definitely will commit in this House to keep the Members up to speed on what’s happening with the ASA. We will be going to the Beaufort-Delta in May. So those are the discussions we’ll continue to have and conclude that discussion at that time. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
