Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to follow up on my Member's statement, and I have some questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Mr. Speaker, I must be very honest with you, I'm gravely concerned that the teachers and the social work programs are in peril no matter what the review process or the outcome is. The Minister has repeatedly stated that the programs have limited success but great expense and that they're not having the intended results, but I'd like further clarification. Mr. Speaker, what issues did the department expressly identify in these programs and when did they do so? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think we've gone through this discussion over time, at our last session as well, that decisions were made and we're moving forward in the best interests of students, in the best interests of education in the Northwest Territories and post-secondary. We continue to support our students here in the North at Aurora College programming, the two programs in particular that were discussed. We continue to support the students from our department as well as through Aurora College to make sure that the students who are in those two programs will succeed, will become workers of the GNWT hopefully, and we continue to support them. I think we've had this discussion long enough that decisions were made and the fact that we're moving forward in the best interests of the students and our education in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I thank the Minister for his words. I don't know that he answered my question, but we'll move on to my next one. Mr. Speaker, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to throw the baby out with the bathwater. If something isn't working, I try to fix it. What did the department and Aurora College do to address the issues identified in these programs before they proposed eliminating them altogether?
The Aurora College and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment continue to work together on a regular basis to review programs that are offered at three of our campuses, as well as our community learning centres, and we continually work to support and improve programs and student outcomes throughout those three campuses as well as our community learning centres. I'm going to continue to do that work and work together to make sure that we have the best interests of our students and our education in the Northwest Territories.
I thank the Minister for his words. Again, he didn't answer the question, and I feel like it's going to be similar to what the rec leaders program did, was they kept on moving it and then they got rid of it, so I'll move on to my next set of questions.
Mr. Speaker, under the current timeframe the review will not be completed until March 31, 2018, and recommendations won't be addressed until next fall business plan for 2019. Students and other residents have asked me to help them find out what is going on. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister advise the House what will happen to the teachers and social work program in the 2018-2019 school year and before the review results can be implemented?
As I've stated earlier, we continue to support the students in the TEP program as well as the social work program. We will continue to commit to making sure that they have every opportunity to succeed here in the Northwest Territories at Aurora College, but also students who are getting an education down south. That we're going to commit to making sure that our students have every opportunity to succeed in whatever programs they're registered in, Mr. Speaker.
I can't speculate at this time what the review is going to say and what those recommendations are going to be, but when we do get those recommendations we will formulate a departmental response and we will share it with committee.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Minister for his answer. Mr. Speaker, I understand the department is also currently working on the funding and accountability framework for Aurora College. How can work on accountability framework proceed when potential fundamental changes to the college are being contemplated? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Nationally there are standard performance measures such as number of enrolments, graduations, and student satisfaction that can be used for existing and future programs. I recognize that a new accountability framework will need to be informed by the foundational review, and that's where we are heading moving forward. In the interim, the department will continue to work with the college to advance this work, but also work with the college on how do we best serve our students in the Northwest Territories who decide to get educated here in the North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Frame Lake.
