EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Even though they are paid appropriately the higher costs of living makes everything too expensive.
I will ask this question again.
Hon. James Arvaluk (interpretation): This will have to be clearer to the people.
Individuals who have completed their schooling, when they have BA’s or diplomas, they are formally recognized as being educated.
For instance the same thing as trade school, we know that even though they have completed their schooling they don’t know how to read Inuktitut.
They cannot teach in Inuktitut, so because they are being taught in a very specific area.
I know that Inuit elders, experts from Arviat have been recognized for being consultants and from their experience they are now being recognized more and more and we would like to see more of this happening in the communities.
Even though they have teachers’ certificates or diplomas it doesn’t mean that they are qualified on every aspect.
They are taught how to teach and for instance, it depends on which programs they are taking.
It can be extended into whatever areas they are taking.
I was more concerned about the wages that are being paid to classroom assistants and others who are not certified.
Are you going to be looking into that as well.
Hon. James Arvaluk (interpretation): Mr. Chairman, I don’t think that I said a certificate or a diploma has nothing to do with the wages that are being paid.
People are paid according to their qualifications and in their specialized areas.
We will be looking at that and would like to finish that in the not too distant future.
That is one of our targets to review all of these areas and we’ll be consulting with the MLA’s and members of the public when we are doing the review.
Those of us who have not completed grade 12 .
But grade 12 levels are now being offered in the communities, and even though these people have graduated from high school and we are glad to see this, even though that is the case it becomes obvious that they need to get more education and many of them are unable to get employment even after getting their grade 12.
I think that we need to communicate to the people how important it is to go beyond grade 12 because they are not trained to take on jobs.
I think that people are finding it a disappointment that after spending all of these years getting your grade 12, they are still not able to get employment.
Yes, grade 12 is often the minimum education for getting employment.
For example, this is a basic curricula that teaches you how to do basic math, basic reading and writing and it is only in preparation for getting a higher education which will enable you to take other training.
Also those people in the smaller communities particularly, are not prepared to go to higher education such as universities, even though they are in high school they are not prepared for post secondary education.
If they’re going to go to a university there needs to be a program to bring them up to par to prepare them for entry into Arctic College or a University in a southern institution.
They have to have a certain level of math a certain level of English programs.
Let us remember that what we have learned from our parents was hard.
That was an education in their own way and we were taught to survive in that environment.
When we completed our grade 12, we were already educated in our own way, so many of the Inuit who were educated at that time, and took the traditional knowledge along with them were able to obtain employment using their past experience.
What we are seeing right now is students even though they have grade 12, their basic knowledge is only what they have learned in the classroom.
Because we are working people, we are not teaching our children as our fathers and mothers did when we were children.
So we have to say that, and telling our children to get their grade 12 so that further education will be available to them, either through the college or through the University.
Those people who graduate grade 12, we are very proud of them today, but the Inuktitut training is still important and when you are experienced outside of the community education there has to be funding outside of that education to incorporate traditional knowledge and on the land survival skills as part of the curriculum.
These are essential to survival in the north and by incorporating the present curriculum along with traditional type programs they would complement each other.
I will stop at this point but I may have another question again later on before we are finished.
Hon. James Arvaluk (interpretation): I don’t really want to respond to that but I would like to assure the member that when we were given this amount of money there was hardly any money for cultural inclusion programs .There was no curriculum's set up for that time slot that the schools were funded for.
That’s why we have to review what should included in there and what kind of specialized people we need to teach that probably in our department.
I think Nowdlak and other people working in that area, we’ll have to careful look at that and stop calling these cultural inclusion programs.
Rather this will be more like a Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, IQ programs like on the land skills and knowing how the weather is, ice conditions, how to process wildlife, and maybe college program traditional knowledge education.
To look at other ways that why we have such a high rate of suicide and why people have change their life styles, I think these can be a part of the social studies program.
I think that we need to look at the curriculum in the schools how we are going to fit in IQ this use to be a called a inclusion program but nobody really knew what was going to be included in our program, but we are aware of that.
The younger generation for example are like commons age group for example people like Elisapee A. Rose or Nowdlak, they continue to develop curriculum for literacy or written materials to be used in the schools.
We would like to look at those kind of programs, so that it will be better to fit in those kind of education opportunities in the school curriculum.
Chairperson: (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Arvaluk.
Mr. Iqaqrialu: (interpretation): Thank you Chairperson.
I don’t have too much left to say, but I’m very happy that we’ll be working together to get the university in my community.
Mr. Alakannuark
Mr. Alakannuark: (interpretation): Thank you Chairperson.
My question is specifically about students who started as young children when they were 5 years old they are require to start school and they go up to grade 9, that’s our level in my community.
Then they have to go away to go to school to take advantage of higher education and they can no longer use the educational facilities in the community even there still going to school .
They have to relocate to another community and because they don’t want to leave their parents and even though there no longer young children, but they still haven’t obtain their grade 12, there unwilling to leave their parents.
I think we all know, I know how hard it is when you have child is going who has to be outside a community to get higher education.
I know that it’s very difficult to keep that student in school and I have experience it myself.
It’s difficult because that child is mine and that child is home sick, it’s hard to see.
Some communities still don’t have a grade 12, my question is what are you doing or what can be done to have all the communities grade 12 available in their schools.
Hon. James Arvaluk: (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairperson.
One of our goals at the department of education is for all of the schools in all of the communities, should all have grade 12 level, in the near future that’s our long term goal, but the only thing that has been deter mental that is funding.
When the GNWT started putting higher grades in the communities, if you still don’t have grade 12 in your community, we will want to know which communities are and we’ll want to know how many are in grade 12 or grade 10 so that in Pelly Bay they only have up to grade 9.
Will how many students are enrolled in the grade 9 program if there 10 or 20 then if there’s 50% or 60% of them are going to be able to finish grade 12 in that community or maybe 60% would be able to complete grade 12 and we have to look at that what the percentages are because the only problem we have is having adequate funding for grade extensions in the communities.
Mr. Alakannuark: (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairperson.
I’ve been hearing that for a long time, the teacher’s who educate our children and if the children are unable to attend school, it was responsibility of the parents to make sure that their children go to school.
The parents can be charged if they don’t send their child to the school, I didn’t know about that before, so I got very scared when I found out. If your child under the age of 16 doesn’t go to school the parent can be charged.
I’ve been hearing this for sometime and I think that was in the legislation.
Now are you going to be reviewing that, I don’t think it’s fair when you have to be, you know it’s not an incentive to charge the parents to make their children to go to school.
Now are you going to be reviewing that legislation.
This is going to be up to the legislature when were working on reviewing our legislation to make it more for the people and how we can incorporate initiative for the parents to keep their children in school.
I think that once that is decided by the legislation will have to obey it.
Thank you Mr. Chairperson.  Chairperson: (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Arvaluk.
Those are the only questions I have.
Thank you very much for answering my questions
Chairperson: Thank you Mr. Alakannuark.
Mr. Chairperson let’s begin with a bunch of general questions in reply to the Ministers’ opening address.
I’d like to take a moment to touch on concerns, I guess a grave concern that I have and not pointing any fingers or anything like that or any of the staff, any of the teaching staff we have in Nunavut.
I honestly and truly believe over the last number of years the entire education system in North has been a victim of cutbacks .
That have as a result, what’s happening as a result of those cut backs is the fact that our children, the children that we need trained adequately to do the jobs that were going to want them to do in the future, are not being given a level standard of education that they deserve or that they need.
There is a large concern out there that just for education system, it is not up to standard in Nunavut, currently prior to that in Northwest Territories, so it’s not a new topic, it’s a huge task that you guys have to deal with.
It’s something that , I think it should be the most important priority for this government is to look after our future and the future in our kids and as in basic education that they get in order to be able to go on, to university, to college and be able to come back and do the jobs that were going to need them and want them to do in the future.
Mr. Chairperson, some of the things that really alarmed me is like I mention earlier, the fact that Nunavut has the highest student teacher ratio, now I believe I can be corrected if I’m wrong is that the majority where that is in the elementary level.
If you were to take a snap shot or the strictly the high school I would imagine that there’s a drastic cut in the number of students, that flow from in to the primary into the high school.
To me there’s got to be a reason for that and from the discussions that I have had with people, over the last number of years. The kids that are in the elementary system are being moved ahead just out of courtesy to move them up instead of keeping them all in there so that the level, they're not getting education, they can be pass on to the next grade in the elementary levels.
Once they hit the high school levels you have to meet basic requirements and a lot of those cases were seeing the drastic drop outs as a results of students who are not prepared and do have those qualifications.
Mr. Chairperson I know , I was made aware of individual as an example of the system and again no faults in my whole thing and I’m not pointing out to any body, but just to try and point out the need is that I know I heard of an individual that graduated from high school here in Iqaluit that was a literate.
A really question the fact the system that we have right now, I think there needs to be a fundamental change in the way we deal with it.
I understand that I know from when I was in school there was program funded so students had an opportunity not only to participate in the academic not all people are academics.
You know not everyone’s cut out to be a academic person, there are a lot of people that are very talented with their hands, working in trades, once those programs were eliminated out of the schools, that segment of our populations our youth have no longer been given the opportunity to have the exposure to those to experience in school.
What happens is those are the people that there not handling the academics stream , they drop out and they become a burden on the social system where in the way it use to be we had program funding and people had exposure to that those people can go through and have in the past become trades people in those different areas.
Very productive in society but without been given that opportunity there not being given a fair chance, there’s other things that I know that another member talked about where was a Inuktitut programming, that has been again pointed to as a contributing factor to this and you know it’s not again the fault of the teachers.
The teachers out there are doing very best with what they’ve been given to work with, what they haven’t given the resources they need to do the job properly.
In education there is no curriculum development any of the teachers from my understanding is they develop their own curriculum, there’s no high school curriculum development in Inuktitut, I don’t even believe there’s very much done in the past grade 4, grade 5 that it is used in the schools.
Mr. Chairperson , I believe if this government this department of education is serious about making Inuktitut our working language in Nunavut it needs to prepare our youth to be able to do that and that means developing curriculum that is at the same levels, at the same standard as an English and I think that English needs to be brought up so that student should be able to go from school in any community in Nunavut to equivalence anywhere in Canada and be at the same level.
Right now I would guess to say that the majority of the students who had graduate out of the North are not at the same level, they would have a very, very tough time moving into post secondary education system.
There just not prepared to do that until we do something about that and I think again were the ones that are going to decide that, is we need to do something about it, we need to increase a level of education, we need to take a real hard look in our future and where we see us going.
We actually do something and just talk about this is being an issue actually provide the resources to make it happen, it never will happen and so I’m just trying to say this is so that the staff don’t feel that I’m pointing any fingers or any blame at them and any of my questions that I have is a general thing I know we have to deal with if were ever to succeed in the future and change we do have the brighter future.
Hon. James Arvaluk: Thank you Mr. Chairperson.
There are some very good comments I will be demanding true reflection of the past experiences with the educational system.
The previous cut backs that resulted over crowding in the schools as a result that the students can’t do as will as they should have.
These are the reflections were going to have to look at as a department and if that’s the case and we will have to find ways and means to improve that because again it would be the students who will suffer the end result of that.
But keeping in mind that the total budget of the government is not very much, I mean it has to be spread out with different programs and services of the Nunavummiut, I believe some of them will not require.
Big increases in dollars to improve them rather try to find most efficient way of making those programs and projects and services work better.
That part too will be looked at the same time so I will need available MLA to work with me.
Mr. Chairperson I think I’ll leave those as general, when we get into the specific of the budget ask some more question at that time.
Iqaqrialu did you wanted make another comments, no.
Thank you any other comments Mr. Irqittuq
Mr. Irqittuq: (interpretation): Thank you Mr. Chairperson.
I am very pleased that the department of education is now planning for the future because education is very important, in the past for those of us who did not get formal education, we have our parents and grandparents didn’t think that education was very important, so therefore I had never received an official education.
If I did not grow up with my grandparents, I would have gone to school like Arvaluk or perhaps I would be sitting on deputy minister Levi’s position, so I regret my past because of the fact that I did not get a formal education.
At least I’m very pleased today that I'm able to sit here with you.
My parents or my grandparents had made a mistake , it hurts me in my heart because of the fact that I wanted to get formal education.
These are the issues I’m learning a lot so I cannot go back to the past and I don’t think I’ll be furthering my education and I know what to do in life and I know how to survive out in the land.
I just wanted to talk a bit about the back ground, but the during the time when we were just before the election during the campaign days I think we all use education as our platform.
Listening to the campaign through the media, all the members now during their campaign used education as their platform and education has always been a priority.
I am very happy, I’m pleased that the main estimates for the fiscal year 99/00, although everything in our wish list is included in the departments main estimates but I’m pleased that next fiscal year during the main estimates preparation when we are dealing with the Education Act that we will be joining in with you in making the amendment to the legislation.
I’m very glad that James wants us to work with him, one thing I have worked very hard which I will be bring forth now, I know that I will be bringing this up again in the future meetings.
Nowadays, especially in my home community and here in Iqaluit that education is more stronger here in Iqaluit, if the students were in my home community they would not be able to speak English as will as the students from Iqaluit.
In the smaller communities although we are very pleased, that we are utilizing our mother tongue in the smaller communities.
The smaller communities are using more Inuktitut dialect but looking at it from the other side, one of my children had reach grade 11 and I live with them and I know them, and I know that their level of education is not up to par, although they are in grade 11, but looking at that they have been taught their education level is not grade 12.
What I’m trying to say is Mr. Chairperson, I’m not trying to put down any teacher in my home community but looking at the students in my community the education system needs to be improved especially on the English part of it so that the students and a trainee or education can be up to par with other provincial.
With the other provincial education system so that they can enter the college or university level without any preparation I know that students who complete grade twelve end up going to college or universities in down south, when they go down there they have to do another enter level.
That I have felt it and seen it personally I would like to see the level of education system provided in the smaller communities improved, if I go over my time you can stop me anytime I can talk on and on and listen.
Also that’s one of the things I’d like to see although it’s going to be pretty hard to obtain it, but I would like to see with in Nunavut, will it doesn’t have to be necessarily with in the whole Nunavut communities, but I’d like to see it happening in my community.
At this time although we say that education level is in adequate, I know my children goes to school with in the whole school calendar year, what I’d like to see even though I state that the level of education has to be improved.
The whole time my children are in school there no longer my children and it’s mandatory for them to go to school, especially I saw myself I have 2 sons and one of my sons I realize that I did not help in the training, I can go out hunting, I know how to survive out on the land.
I realize that I did not train my children on that aspect.
I would like to see is that we need to educate our children on how to survive out on the land as a daily, we should be teaching the students the daily survival skills, there’s many students out there who do not want to be in school, we should make a land skills available, we should make that kind of training available and get a person who can teaches land survival skills with a certificate.
Also , take them out fishing anywhere and how to go out hunting and how to survive and teach them traditional skills such as fox trapping, and building snow houses, building sleds, bow and arrows, and how to make a harpoon, if the student is a female we should be teaching them hand crafts.
Many people in that age, our age we have been taught by our parents how to sew and how to hunt.
The students who are of age to learn the traditional skills still don’t know how to survive.
We are losing that knowledge in our communities, so before we lose all of our culture, Mr. Chairman, I would like to see them revived and being instructed.
I know that your department will work hard towards that goal.
Those are the issues that I would like to raise and those are the issues that I have used as a platform during my campaign.
We cannot really respond, but I just want him to be aware that I believe that having two languages, if you know two languages it does not hinder you from using another language.
As the member stated my son is in grade 11, my child, since he was going to school he doesn’t seem to be using the Inuktitut language in the community.
It might be true but they don’t take language arts in the classrooms but usually the language arts are taught by the parents.
The only time they are taught English is how to read and write.
If a student doesn’t utilize his language at home the level of learning is not going to be as good.
All of us have learned how to speak English when we went to school.
Once we started reading government documents or books in the library.
Once this is taught in school, the first language must be taught by the parents and once you are taught you can get good at speaking in that language.
Also it is a fact that some students will have to get further entry levels such as learning basic math and English because the community high school learning program was vocational training.
The local education authorities don’t usually prepare the students to go to University and if the local education authority tries to they can prepare their students at an entry level.
One issue that he raised that I should have taught my child more on life skills, and survival skills.
I think that sometimes we tend to think that all of the requirements of learning should be taught in schools.
I think some of them should be taught at home.
I think we have to say to all Nunavut residents that we have to take on that responsibility if we want to train our children.
I suggest the way to do this is to go out hunting, build a kamotik and build an igloo.
I have that responsibility to teach my child.
For that reason I could buy my son hockey equipment for 500 dollars because he wants to go out hunting or if a student wants to go swimming you buy them bathing suits.
So there are many issues that the school doesn’t teach.
Social skills; As a father, I should hold that responsibility to teach my child.