Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to follow up on my Member’s statement earlier today with questions to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment specifically related to the Education Renewal Initiative. I’d like to focus on the latest research on how our children are doing. We have been testing young children approaching school age with a test called the Early Development Indicator. Could the Minister confirm that the latest data from the Early Development Indicator work is showing that 35 to 60 percent of children approaching school age in our smaller communities have development delays that may cause a reduced capacity to learn?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. The Minister of Education, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Those are some of the assessments that we have conducted throughout the Northwest Territories, working very closely with Alberta Education. As part of the process, of course, we need to find out where the students are at. There are some challenges, as the Member alluded to. Due to that reason, we have developed two of the biggest files, the Early Childhood Development Framework, along with the action plan being developed, and also the Education Renewal Initiative and Innovation Framework and action plan to follow, which involves those DEAs, NWTTA and other parties from the Northwest Territories, so we can make this an effective mechanism for early learning, and then also for the students across the Northwest Territories.
Sad news indeed. I know we want to work on those statistics and improve them. The latest research shows that development of the brain and its neural pathways are largely established by age three.
How does this scientific evidence compare with the Minister of Education’s understanding of how a child’s mind develops and how does he think this evidence should change the way we educate our children or assist them in development? Mahsi.
We have conducted various research across our great country of Canada, even outside, internationally. What the Member is referring to is some of the research that he would have on his file, if he can share that with us as well. We have all these different research that we conducted through our engagement with the committees as well. We have to try and use the best practices that are out there available to us instead of reinventing the wheel or the challenges that we are faced with today. In my view, we have all those documentation, the data, the stats. Now we need to move forward and develop an action plan towards that. That’s what we’re focusing on with our partners across the Northwest Territories. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, the data are crystal clear. The research is crystal clear. Brain development primarily takes place by age three and development of the neuro pathways takes place by age three, so the focus needs to be in the ages zero to three. Research is also showing that starting kindergarten at age four with junior kindergarten does not provide net benefits to learning over normal kindergarten programs, as my colleague Ms. Bisaro has outlined.
Given this evidence, does the Minister agree that, because the most important brain development occurs from age zero to three, that establishing junior kindergarten for four-year-olds is not the best investment to improve the mental development of our young children? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, again, there are other research. We also have research from different jurisdictions as well. With some of the research, whether it be internationally or nationally, one we have specifically is on a UK study, Effective Provision of Pre-school Education, a large long-term study. A year more of early childhood education makes a big difference to children. These are just some of the areas that we continue to focus as part of Education, Culture and Employment. It is not only my department, I’m working very closely… We even partner with the Department of Health and Social Services because we want this to be an effective mechanism that we can deal with early learning as well. Ages zero to three, of course, would have to fall under Health and Social Services, so we are partners in that.
We are very serious about these challenges that we’re faced with and we are developing an action plan to deal with those matters. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bromley.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ECE is the lead on our early childhood development. I’m pleased to see the progressive approach of the Education Renewal Initiative in addressing new ways of learning in today’s world. However, with so many children entering the system with a reduced capacity to learn, it is clear that we must have success with early, zero to three, childhood development first.
Does the Minister agree with this analysis and will he commit to making a vigorous NWT-wide Early Childhood Development Program the number one priority of this initiative? Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the Early Childhood Development Framework will be capturing that. It is very serious to our department and with the Health and Social Services, so we will continue to push that forward in this House and in the Northwest Territories across the board. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
