Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is directed to the Minister of Education with regard to my Member’s statement, similar along the lines of Mr. Jacobson. We have a similar problem in Tsiigehtchic and I believe in all small communities with populations under 200. Using the student/teacher ratio does not work to get another teacher in the community. To be fair to those students who are having to go up to Inuvik and elsewhere to get their high school education, the reason they are going there is because the teachers are in those larger schools which provide the ability to provide that curriculum. Because of that situation we have in the small communities where you only have two teachers in Tsiigehtchic to provide an education program for the communities, you need extra teachers on the ground in order to make those programs work.
Mr. Speaker, when they had the home boarding in Inuvik, they were spending almost $500,000 for 20 students out of Inuvik; $500,000. You could have taken that $500,000 and given $250,000 to Sachs Harbour, $250,000 to Tsiigehtchic, offered them two teachers apiece, you would have solved your problem. Will the Minister consider looking at an option of putting more money into those communities over and above the exact formula that is there now to offer high school education in those communities?
Thank you, Mr. Krutko. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. We are looking at various options on how we can enhance our services in small, isolated communities such as Tsiigehtchic or Sachs Harbour and Ulukhaktok and other communities. Part of the ongoing discussion we’re having with the education council is identifying those resources. There is also the enrolment issue. We’re dealing with an enrolment that is going down, and that doesn’t help in small communities. So, certainly, those are the strategic thinking that we are having with our departments and with the community organizations. We need to find a solution. One solution is to increase funding. How can we do that? Where can we find the funds? Those are options we are currently exploring.
If the Minister would be seriously considering the cost right now that is being borne by the divisional board of education in Inuvik for home boarding or for a hostel, which is already part of their budget, take those dollars and give it to those communities so the community students don’t have to leave their home communities and put it into those communities so they can hire more teachers.
This particular discussion can be undertaken by my department with the education council in the Beaufort-Delta. I definitely wouldn’t want to dictate on where the money should be going. It was their decision. Like I stated earlier, those are the experts around the table. We need to get the advice from them. We can certainly meet with them to identify where we should extend it, whether it be home boarding or other areas. Those are the types of discussions that can certainly be undertaken.
So what happens to the students who have dropped out? Are they basically going to lose their whole education because of having to go back to their home communities and having no high school education or programs there to assist them? Like Mr. Jacobson, I’d like to know if there is a support mechanism in the Department of Education to assist those students who have gone back to their home communities, by way of funds for tutoring, funds to work with them to make sure they don’t lose their whole school year. Are there ways we can salvage the school year so they can move forward with their education?
Again, that type of discussion needs to happen at the district education council with our department, identifying funding or resources within our department and also within the board department. We’ve already allocated funds for this school year operation, and those eight students or other students that Mr. Krutko is alluding to, we need to look at their status. The funding that’s been allocated to Inuvik, certainly they will lose that if the students are back in Tsiigehtchic. We need to adjust in those areas as well. The board needs to make those decisions as well. I have to respect those decisions. Certainly we can discuss that at the board level as we move forward.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Final supplementary, Mr. Krutko.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Presently they’re spending about $180,000 in regard to the home boarders. I’m just wondering if that money could be given to the community so they can maybe hire a few extra teachers in those communities to assist these students to keep them in school and get them into the classroom and keep them there to try to salvage the year end. There is money still in the budget no longer being expended. It was for the purpose of home boarding. Can those dollars be reallocated to those communities and get those kids back into school?
That is the type of discussion that we will certainly be having. I would advise Members to try to meet up with board members on the educational factor, because it’s the board of education that is telling us where they are going to expend their money a year in advance. Sometimes we hear complaints or issues or opportunities that we move forward with, but those are discussions that we need to have with the board of education.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Member for Kam Lake, Mr. Ramsay.
