Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to follow up with my Member’s statement today. I have questions today for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
In the budget address it mentions that one-third of our NWT children start school already significantly behind in their overall health and development. I want to ask the Minister, with the data collection, does he see those stats as per norm that we see in the small communities?
Would the Minister give us any kind of indication what those stats are in the small communities and how he plans to address those challenges, those problems that we have with children being behind in their health and their development? Does he have the stats for the small communities? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Moses. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We do have those stats from the small communities and also the larger centres in comparison and also southern jurisdictions, as well, because they do serve isolated communities sometimes.
We have done a lot of research in this area and we have been working with other provincial jurisdictions. We realize that a lot of our communities, especially the isolated communities, small communities, are not up to par on their educational paths. Through the Education Renewal Initiative it will certainly capture those areas, and even the Early Childhood Development Framework that we have been talking about. All those tools that we have been providing will offset and enhance the program that we’re going to be delivering as we move forward. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
I agree with the Minister that we do have a lot of challenges in our smaller communities, especially ones that are isolated.
The Minister and committee have had the opportunity to work with the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority on their e-learning program that provides education tools and education to the small communities using teleconference.
Would the Minister agree that this new e-learning structure is working and is very successful in the Beaufort-Delta region, and is he willing to look at providing additional resources to this project? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
First of all I would like to commend the Beaufort-Delta Education Council for working diligently on this particular e-learning initiative that they have embarked on. It has been very, very successful to date, even though it has been a short time frame. At the same time, we have been doing our research across our great country of Canada and there is other e-learning that’s happening throughout the other regions, but this particular one captures the most isolated communities.
I agree that this is an area that we need to invest in more and then how we can deliver that as a test pilot project through the Beaufort-Delta region to other isolated communities. Those are just some of the discussions we are currently having. Mahsi.
I appreciate the Minister’s comments on the work that’s been brought forth by the Beaufort-Delta Education Council, and just quoting him he says it’s “very, very successful” and that we have to start investing into this organization.
Right now the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority, through the e-learning program, provides opportunities for three communities to advance their education, higher education, meaning that there are other communities in the coastal regions that aren’t getting the proper, not the proper but the same education that they can.
Would the Minister be willing to invest funding? Knowing that the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority is using their old funds to fund this program, can new dollars be invested into the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority to fund this program so the coastal communities can also reap these benefits? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thanks for the Member’s statement, Mr. Moses. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Member for addressing this important subject. We are, as I stated, working very closely with the BDEC – Beaufort-Delta Education Council – exploring various ways on how we can expand on their initiative that has been highlighted as a success.
As the Member indicated, part of the coastal regions are not covered. This is our goal, to capture those isolated communities, reaching out to those isolated communities. We are discussing that at this point. Mahsi.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Moses.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just to be pretty blunt about this, I guess, would the Minister be willing to fund the e-learning program with new dollars so that Beaufort-Delta Education can use their allocated funding for other programs and projects that other regions have? Is there new funding in the ERI Initiative coming down the pipes in the 2014-15 fiscal year? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
E-learning will be a key component of the Education Innovation Action Plan, so as we move forward, evolve into action plans, this will be captured to reach out to the most isolated communities. So, yes, that is part of the plan. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Bouchard, Hay River.
