Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I began reviewing the Education Renewal Initiative, anticipating a statement detailing its failures. Wrong. In fact, I was impressed and offer my compliments to the people who have worked so hard to develop it and bring it forward.
The plan draws on research which reveals the need to teach, or a competency-based model that works better with how a child’s brain actually functions, with more integration of learning across subjects. Self-worth is recognized as essential for success in school for everyone.
More than knowledge and skills, learning involves the integration of thinking skills, creative abilities, attitudes, motivations and values. With the teachers’ guidance, this can be well-served using today’s access to information and through connections and relationships.
The document also lays plain our failure on early childhood development and, it breaks my heart to say this, gives shocking statistics like 35 to 60 percent of our five-year-olds in small communities entering school are developmentally delayed.
Authors state the need to put supports in place, even before children begin school, is evident, and go on to recognize the critical role of parents, families and communities. But here’s the thing, the plan fails to acknowledge that without successful child development, much of the ERI is destined to fail. In a sense, given our current failure with ECD, it is five years too early.
We know that early childhood development success must be realized before we can expect gains sought through education renewal. I support the need for education renewal based on the reasons referenced above, but without healthy children entering schools, the conclusions of Aboriginal Student Achievement, quality of small community education and culturally based education can be improved through the ERI are not warranted.
Given that up to 60 percent of new students are underprepared for learning, how can we wonder why grad rates are stuck at 50 percent, the students are graduating without Grade 12 proficiency and so on? How can we expect success at programs like Aboriginal Student Achievement when the foundation for such accomplishment – healthy early childhood development – remains unaddressed?
For now I support going forward with the ERI, using existing resources.
I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement. Mahsi.
---Unanimous consent granted
For now I support going forward with the ERI, using existing resources. In order to achieve any success, an absolute imperative is to steadily and intelligently build our early childhood development initiative to a seven to 10 million dollar program annually. Assuming we can make measurable ECD progress in five years, then and only then would be the time, based on sound evaluation of progress, to consider supplementing resources to the ERI.
Let’s get it right from the very start. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
