A significant step in strengthening the foundation of Aurora College was made last week when the College launched a new Student Information System. The new system will improve the quality of students’ educational experience and provide data to inform future decision-making as Aurora College transforms to a polytechnic university.
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Mr. Speaker, the transformation of Aurora College into a world class polytechnic university is well underway. As the Legislative Assembly is aware, the transformation will happen in three phases. We are currently in Phase One, which is what I want to talk about today. Phase One is focused on strengthening the foundation of the existing college, ensuring we understand the detailed steps ahead of us, and determining what we, as a territory, want the polytechnic university to be.
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Mr. Speaker, today I want to focus on one of the successes that has come from the Education, Renewal and Innovation Framework. The Northern Distance Learning program, otherwise known as NDL, is a way to offer higher-level academic courses to high school students in small communities, to prepare them for postsecondary. By the upcoming 2020-2021 school year, this program will be available to students in up to 20 small communities across the territory.
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Mr. Speaker, no one in the Northwest Territories, especially our children and youth, should ever have to endure bullying. Our schools and communities must be safe spaces for all students and the responsibility to ensure this happens is one we all share. I am pleased to announce today, on Pink Shirt Day, the formal release of the Guidelines for Ensuring LGBTQ2S+ Equity, Safety and Inclusion in Northwest Territories Schools.
Mr. Speaker, this government has been tasked with transforming Aurora College into a polytechnic university. This work, which will span the 18th, 19th, and 20th Legislative Assemblies, is no small task, but I am here to tell you that we are well on our way. The transformation consists of over 200 projects and 2000 individual tasks. In order to be successful, we need to make the right changes, in the right order, and at the right time. To help keep things on track, the transformation is divided into three phases.
February is Indigenous Languages Month in the Northwest Territories (NWT), and the theme of this year’s celebration is “Say It With Me.”
Indigenous Languages Month is a chance for people across the territory to promote the nine official NWT Indigenous languages and honour the Elders, teachers and language leaders who are working to revitalize Indigenous languages in their communities.
Mr. Speaker, I stand in this House today to celebrate the nine official Indigenous languages of the Northwest Territories. How incredible that we have nine official Indigenous languages, unlike any other jurisdiction in Canada. Our languages are gifts to be protected, strengthened, valued and promoted.
It was another proud moment for Northerners last week in Ottawa, as Minister Chinna presented the Arctic Inspiration Prize to Northern Compass.
The Arctic Inspiration Prize recognizes and promotes the contribution made by teams who have dedicated their time to projects that serve the Canadian Arctic, the people and Canada as a whole.
The GNWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) has released its first five-year evaluation report on the Education Renewal and Innovation (ERI) initiative for junior kindergarten (JK) to grade 12 education in the Northwest Territories (NWT).
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada was tabled on the audit of Early Childhood and the Kindergarten to Grade 12 education system in the Northwest Territories. The Report focused on five areas: Inclusive schooling; Indigenous language and culture-based education; equitable access to quality education; programming, staff qualifications, and training in licensed early childhood programs; and how these areas worked to support student outcomes.
