Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I’d like to follow up a little bit with regard to my statement. One of the things that add to teachers’ workload is new initiatives and changes made to curriculum, changes made to the way that they are expected to report things, changes made with the way that they’re expected to deal with students in the classroom and in the school.
I’d like to ask the Minister, right now the department is undergoing or has posted an Education Renewal and Innovation Strategy and they’re working on an action plan. I know that there are some initiatives planned for the next school year, which starts in September 2014.
So I’d like to ask the Minister what initiatives are planned for schools, other than JK, we know junior kindergarten is starting, but what other initiatives are planned for September 2014 for the next school year? Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. The department obviously understands the importance of teachers having adequate time to prepare for many responsibilities, including the instruction of students, working with students, assisting students’ learning, engaging and also the ongoing professional development and collaboration.
As the Member indicated, the education renewal innovation is part of the process where various initiatives will be undertaken. We’re at the preliminary stages right now because we are going to be developing an action plan pertaining to those highlighted portfolios within the education renewal. So, we will be coming back to the Legislative Assembly with the action plan overall and which priorities we’re going to be moving forward with. As you know, there are sectors of activities that will be happening in 2014-15. Mahsi.
Thanks to the Minister. I didn’t hear a specific answer to my question. Apparently we have to wait for the action plan for the ERI Strategy to come forward. My understanding is that that’s going to be, I think I’ve heard May, I think I’ve heard June. That doesn’t leave much time for anybody to get ready for initiatives in a few short months.
I’d like to know from the Minister if he can tell me, if the action plan is coming out in June, are there expectations that programs or changes other than junior kindergarten that will need to be implemented in September of 2014? Thank you.
Mahsi. Upon receiving the action plan later this year, we will be putting that towards the business planning process for the following year, so it is a process that we have to follow. We are in the stages of developing some of the initiatives for 2014-15 this September. As the Member alluded to, junior kindergarten is a prime example of one that falls under that as well.
So, by this summer we’re expecting the action plan to be developed and finalized and then put it towards the business planning process for the following year’s budget. Mahsi.
Thanks. I’m not quite understanding why the Minister doesn’t really know what these initiatives are at this point. The budget for 2014-15 has been passed. Presumably there’s planning in that budget under the Department of Education, Culture and Employment for new initiatives for the fall of 2014, September, for schools, for new things.
Can the Minister tell me what is in the 2014-15 Education budget that they are planning on implementing and that those changes are going to be coming in under the Education Renewal Innovation Initiative? Thank you.
Mahsi. I can provide the detailed list to the Member. As the Member indicated, part of it is the junior kindergarten, the wage top-up is another one. Those are just some of the examples of the activities that will be happening, but I will commit to the Members to provide the most detailed information on those activities that will be coming forward. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Ms. Bisaro.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the commitment from the Minister, and I would hope that that information would be made public because I’m sure the teachers want to know what changes are coming down the pipe for them as well.
One of the things that is required, and the Minister has referenced it, in terms of junior kindergarten, there’s going to be training required for some of the teachers who are going to be going in and teaching junior kindergarten.
I’d like to ask the Minister if the school boards have been provided with funds to do the training that is required for new staff or is the department going to take on that training itself?
My department will be providing the training and working very closely with the school boards, because we have to deal with the teachers to deliver the junior kindergarten. I stated in the House that we are moving forward on training by this summer and then in the fall time for those individuals that may not have gone through the training program. Those are slated for this summer and then this fall, and again, my department will be working with the school boards to finalize those plans.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, Mr. Moses.
