Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I may proceed, on the top of page two of the Minister's statement he talks about the public process for establishing a school year. The Minister is totally correct in his comment that the school year is established by him on the advice of the divisional boards. In service, the issue at point here, is a decision that is made usually in the course of the school year by the director in
consultation with the school staffs in his or her jurisdiction. These in-service activities are unique to each school and are generated through the expression of a need for specialized training in order to implement curriculum as a program. This in service has been going on in the Northwest Territories since schools were built, and until this date never required prior approval by divisional boards, local education authorities, and certainly not the Minister. In point of fact, this sort of in service is usually just reported to the local education authorities by the director before or after the fact. This proceeding makes sense. It is a professional decision. An elected board cannot evaluate its value but has to trust the judgment of their educational administrator. This could be the problem in Inuvik. Not withstanding the 1992-93 guideline for the development of school years, which suggests there should be no in service -- a position that is incredibly short-sighted in view of the cultural mix and differing learning styles of children, and that, if implemented rigidly, will have teachers and classrooms with curriculum that has the philosophical and cultural overtones that require stress in certain areas in which they have had no training.
This is a particular problem in the Northwest Territories where there is a 25 to 35 per cent turnover of teachers. Without specific in service in specific areas, the Northwest Territories students are not getting full value from the system, as teachers lurch through the curriculum, not really aware of the direction or stress required by the varying culture or community.
My last comment refers to the final comments made by the Minister, "That is the way it should be done and I do not see any reason to change this practice." Mr. Chairman, the practice to which the Minister refers is simply not practice. In point of fact, in the Beaufort/Delta Divisional Board of Education region, in January one of the schools in the region had an in-service session for a full school day in co-operative learning, with full knowledge of the director without any request for a modification of the school year or any authorization by the Minister.