Thank you, Mr. Minister. No further supplementaries? Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Nitah.
Debates of June 12th, 2002
This is page numbers 717 - 740 of the Hansard for the 14th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was policy.
Topics
Further Return To Question 235-14(5): Appeals Of Rental Increases
Question 235-14(5): Appeals Of Rental Increases
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister responsible for Education, Mr. Joe Handley. Mr. Speaker, the system we use in the Northwest Territories is called social passing, where students are promoted to the next grade based on their age and the age of their peers. As I said in my Member's statement, that sets them up for failure. We are graduating more students but we are educating less.
I would like to ask the Minister, what is the department doing to address that very fundamental concern in our system? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.
Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The issue the Member raises is a very controversial one and one on which there is a lot of debate. I agree, social passing means keeping students with their peers regardless of them having achieved the grade level. That is not good. Also, holding them back has proven not to be good either, and we find a lot of students who are held back for a long time never really catch up with their peers again. They are doomed to most likely drop out of school.
In spite of that, the department has done a number of things to try and address this problem. I can go to the detail on some of them if the Member likes. We have a School Improvement Pilot Project. We have done a lot of work on early childhood education, both in working with parents and young children to give the young children a good start. We are dealing with class size issues and also looking at our high schools. I would be prepared to go into some detail on all of these if the Member wishes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
Supplementary To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Mahsi cho, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure if the Minister answered my question. One of the bigger challenges we face in the education system is imposed by outside influences. FAS/FAE is becoming a major problem in the Northwest Territories. We all know students who are suffering from FAS/FAE are slower in learning. This social passing is going to be a hindrance because those kids are going to be holding other students back and it is not working.
I would like to ask the Minister, is the department looking at anything different than what he has mentioned? The social passing is not the way to go. Anything different, anything new? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.
Further Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 723
Joe Handley Weledeh
Mr. Speaker, in Education, we do not even use the term social passing. We try not to think of it as just social passing, but more one of trying to keep students where they are comfortable with their peers.
First of all, on FAS/FAE, we do have support for inclusive schooling. That support this year has gone up to 15 percent as it is worked into the formula. We have increased the support to help with students who are having difficulties learning. A lot of our classrooms have classroom assistants and other supports, special needs teachers as well, to help the teachers.
We also require the teachers to report back to the parents accurately on what grade level the student is working at, regardless of which classroom they are sitting in. If someone is 15 years old and only reading or doing math at a grade 3 level, we want the teachers to be honest with the parents and tell them exactly where the student is performing at.
We are working with our teachers to make sure they have a full range of skills in the school wherever possible and also, all the specialized program support they can get their hands on to work with those students.
The amount of money that has gone into helping children improve in school has increased considerably. We have also lowered our funding from the department to the schools down to using a formula of 16.5 students per teacher. That will go down to 16 next year.
There are a whole range of things we are doing as a department to try to help those students who are having difficulties working at a grade level appropriate for their age. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Supplementary To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in my riding in the community of Fort Resolution, seven students were sent by their parents down to Edmonton to attend a school that is not sponsored by this government or any government because the students could not participate in the classroom. They were constantly getting suspended.
They were taken down to Alberta. They have a system where they work with the children using the Alberta curriculum. I have just seen the results of their marks. Their marks have gone up by almost 100 percent. Those students could not function in our school system and they are able to do it in Alberta.
Why are the students getting suspended from schools and are not able to get through the process of graduating to the next level in our system but are able to do it south of the 60th parallel without funds from this government? Why, Mr. Speaker?
Supplementary To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.
Further Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am not familiar with the program in Alberta that the Member is referring to. It might be a special program. In any school system, what we do in the school has a big impact on the children. Also, the activities and things that the students are involved with in the community have a big impact. It takes both the community and the teachers to work together in order to have a successful student.
I am not familiar with the program in Alberta and how they deal with those issues, but as part of the mandate of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, we do look at the family and try to work with the family to be able to deal with those issues. Often there are social issues that cause students to either leave school, be sent home from school or suspended from school, or whatever things might be happening that make learning impossible.
I would be interested to know more about the school in Alberta and what their successes are. We do have a school improvement pilot project that is intended to look at things like that. School education authorities can apply for funding to try out some of these new ideas. If the Member would share with me the name of the school and what its programs are, I would be interested in giving it to the education authorities and telling them to give us a proposal on how they might improve their school similar to the Alberta one. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Supplementary To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Steven Nitah Tu Nedhe
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the school in question is called SICES in Edmonton. I will provide that information to the Minister.
Mr. Speaker, industry in the Northwest Territories, such as BHP, is doing a lot for literacy. Literacy is the key to education, according to industry. Throughout the North, the Minister is working with industry to make the curriculum consistent with the needs of the economy in the Northwest Territories. If we do not match that, then we do not really have an economy. An education is almost an economic process.
Is the Minister in contact with industry to ensure that curriculum is developed to achieve the needs of not only the people of the Northwest Territories but the economy of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Nitah. The honourable Minister responsible for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Handley.
Further Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Joe Handley Weledeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I personally have not had a chance to be in contact with industry with regard to education specifically. I do know that the department has been working closely with industry for a number of years now at the college level in particular to try to design our program to fit the needs in industry.
We are also looking at the school improvement program, the successful schools project and a number of other initiatives to see if there are ways that we can make our schools more successful. Success means students going on to further training and jobs, so that ties in with industry.
We have been doing a lot of work on adult basic education. We are doing some work with youth employment. There is a whole range of areas we are working with. I am not familiar with the detail of each of these specific programs right now, but I will assure the Member that we will continue to work with industry. If there are ways of improving that, then we will do it.
I have personally been involved with community mobilization, for example, the young people who run an organization called Nexus, to do this and draw that link between industry and young people. I find a lot of those initiatives through the private sector are the way that we have to take a lot of our schools. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Question 236-14(5): Social Passing Policy
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Minister. Item 6, oral questions. The honourable Member for North Slave, Mr. Lafferty.
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 724
Leon Lafferty North Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, the Honourable Jim Antoine. As I mentioned in my Member's statement, the Dogrib Agreement has been in progress for ten long years. It is only natural and expected that one day, a final agreement will be reached. Through the commitments from the negotiators for all three parties, that day is reported to be near. I would like to ask the Minister if the territorial government is committed to helping to wrap up the Dogrib Agreement for the important step of initialling this summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Antoine.
Return To Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, the Dogrib Treaty 11 negotiations have been going on for quite a number of years. We as a government have our own negotiating team at the table. We have been doing everything we can over the few years to try to move this claim forward.
Although negotiators are working very hard to initial a final agreement this year, there remains some very difficult issues, including the issues of who will pay for incremental costs, the whole subject of certainty provisions, which is the old extinguishment clause. Certainty provisions have been a big issue. The decision on certainty is expected from Canada very soon.
Of course, there is the whole issue of the Dogrib and the Akaitcho First Nations having not reached an agreement over the boundary and overlap issues, which is also a very big issue, which I identified early on was going to be a big issue and it is. The Akaitcho have recently gone to court over this issue. Whether or not an injunction is granted with respect to the Akaitcho Dene First Nations settlement of claim could have an affect on when negotiations are concluded.
There is still a great deal of work to be done but the negotiators are working hard to conclude negotiations as soon as possible. There is another negotiation session slated to be next week, for about a week to ten days in Ottawa. At that time, we will have a better indication of where we are at. Thank you.
Return To Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725
Supplementary To Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725
Leon Lafferty North Slave
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for the extra information that he has given us, but I would like to ask the Minister, if the federal government and the Dogrib are ready to initial, will the territorial government be ready? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Supplementary To Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725
The Speaker Tony Whitford
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. The honourable Minister responsible for the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Mr. Antoine.
Further Return To Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725
Jim Antoine Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, negotiations are still going on at this point in time. Like I said, there is a negotiation session next week and we will have a better indication at that time of where we are at. Thank you.
Further Return To Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Question 237-14(5): Dogrib Treaty 11 Land Claim
Item 6: Oral Questions
Page 725