YELLOWKNIFE (October 31, 2013) – A new framework released today by Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) Jackson Lafferty will shift the foundation for Kindergarten to Grade 12 education in the Northwest Territories.

Called Education Renewal and Innovation Framework: Directions for Change, the framework will create a change in approaches to teaching and learning. It will encourage partnerships, improve relationships between communities and schools and focus on helping children develop a strong sense of identity. It will support educators and life-long learning, renew learning experiences inside and outside the classroom and develop effective assessment tools that measure this learning.

“The framework incorporates research, data and best practices from the North, across Canada and around the world to help the government focus on the right approaches that will ensure we are meeting the needs of our children and families,” says Minister Lafferty.  “As Malala Yousafzai said at the United Nations earlier this year, ‘one child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.’  We must have the collective courage to move towards that change.  ECE is committed to creating a foundation of access, support, dedicated programs and services, and collaboration across government and Northern stakeholders in a renewed education system.”

Over the next several months ECE will finalize a multi-year action plan to support the commitments in the framework.  The plan will outline the directions, actions and timelines, estimate costs over the next ten years and will be supported by an evaluation framework.

The framework is one of several initiatives developed by the Government of the Northwest Territories to address challenges like poverty, mental health, addictions, early childhood development, safety, the legacy of residential schools and school attendance.  Other challenges within the school system, like authentic learning, staff recruitment, training and retention and transitions to work or learning after high school will be met primarily through school programming and policies themselves, preparing children for a prosperous and healthy future.

To read the framework and for more information, visit www.ece.gov.nt.ca.

For more information:

Jacqueline McKinnon
Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Department of Education, Culture and Employment
Tel:         867.920.6222
Email:    jacqueline_mckinnon@gov.nt.ca