YELLOWKNIFE (June 2, 2014) – Six Northwest Territories residents were honoured this morning as inductees into the Education Hall of Fame, which recognizes the important and lasting contributions of those dedicated to education in the North.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share some exciting news about the roll out of Junior Kindergarten that will begin in the fall of 2014. There has been much discussion on how we are implementing Junior Kindergarten, and we carefully considered comments and concerns raised by Education Boards on the rollout of Junior Kindergarten.
Mr. Speaker, we put the decision to Education Boards and gave them a choice of whether they wanted to implement Junior Kindergarten in the fall of this year, or defer it to next year.
YELLOWKNIFE (May 7, 2014) – The education ministers of N.W.T., Nunavut and Yukon met yesterday in Yellowknife to review current issues and discuss ways to continue working together to support education across Canada’s North.
YELLOWKNIFE (March 17, 2014) – The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) has been in exploratory discussions with education partners on school utilization in Hay River and Yellowknife since September 2013. These discussions were motivated by the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories’ orders that the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) provide Commission scolaire francophone (CSF) schools in Yellowknife and Hay River with gyms and additional classrooms.
YELLOWKNIFE (March 11, 2014) – Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty is announcing new funding for the Beaufort Delta Education Council’s (BDEC) e-learning program. This program allows students to remain in their home communities while taking a wide range of academic courses not normally offered in their community school.
YELLOWKNIFE (March 10, 2014) – Yellowknife Catholic Schools (YCS) will see an expansion of their Dô Edàezhe Program through the Education Renewal and Innovation initiative (ERI). Dô Edàezhe was developed to address concerns for YCS students that were disengaged from their schools, at risk of or already dropping out, and facing other challenges in their lives.
YELLOWKNIFE (February 25, 2014) – With Junior Kindergarten on the horizon for 29 small communities in the 2014-15 school year, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is making sure the program and investments are meeting the needs of all affected children and families.
YELLOWKNIFE (February 14, 2014) – The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre presents Canada’s Waterscapes – Yours To Enjoy, Explore and Protect from February 13 until August 31, 2014. The exhibit features Canada’s diverse, complex and beautiful aquatic ecosystem and highlights several northern watersheds.
Mr. Speaker, this continues to be a very exciting time for education in not only the North but the entire country. Through our Education Renewal and Innovation work, we are recognizing how people learn, what supports are needed to help them learn, and how we can improve education for all students.
Mr. Speaker, the first five years of a child’s life are critical to creating a foundation for their healthy physical, emotional, social and cognitive development. Supporting child-care programs is one of the priorities of this Legislative Assembly. The Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Health and Social Services worked in partnership and developed the Early Childhood Development Action Plan. It will provide accessible quality early childhood and parental programs and services for all Northwest Territories families.
