Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have stood up in this House on many occasions to speak about education and some of our social issues that we see in the Northwest Territories, specifically in the education services within the Beaufort-Delta region and the community of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, whether it’s speaking up on behalf of the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority, the Aurora College, Aurora Research Institute, East Three elementary or secondary schools or the Children First Centre.
One thing that occurred to me and one thing that I brought up in previous statements is that the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority is a unique area in the Northwest Territories and a unique situation when we have to fly in board members or go to schools. The cost of doing business and travelling in the Beaufort-Delta is a concern that was brought forward to me, whether it’s education councils or else the education authority itself.
Last week I fought to try to get them more funding and look at how we do the formula funding with the education authorities throughout the Northwest Territories and, like I said, especially in the Beaufort-Delta region where the high cost of doing business with travelling and flights and those kinds of things.
Last week on October 30th , the Premier made a
Minister’s statement about Junior Kindergarten and that we’re going to go ahead with this Junior Kindergarten in 23 communities without changing the current funding approach to Junior Kindergarten and will not offer the Junior Kindergarten Program in any of the regional centres or in Yellowknife. That brings up a concern, because I fought to try to see if we could get more funding for the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority to continue to do its business, and what we are seeing now, is under this funding approach to Junior Kindergarten, I know the Beaufort-Delta Education Authority is going to have to find money within to fund these programs. It’s not only programs within the region, it’s programs throughout the Northwest Territories in 23 communities for this year and possibly for next year if they decide to continue on.
Mr. Speaker, we only have eight communities in the Northwest Territories, some of them we can’t get some of our senior management, some of our teachers in and out whether it’s training or not, and this money really has an impact on them. The money that is going to be coming out for this Junior Kindergarten Program is also going to have an impact on the way the education authority does business.
The education authority is very innovative; they find ways to spend money. The e-learning program is a big one. They used money from within to try to get the best education for our students in the coastal communities. How will this Junior Kindergarten impact those types of programs? I don’t know, but I will have questions for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.