EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
Education programs and services that are moving to the Department of Family Services include:
The adult education/training program delivery component of the career and early childhood services line of business.
This includes apprenticeship program delivery and training on the job.
The Income Support Program component of the career and early childhood services line of business.
This includes social assistance, daycare subsidy, seniors fuel subsidy, and building careers – training.
Elements of the regional administration component of the career and early childhood services line of business.
This includes career services – regional, community income support delivery, and social assistance administration – regional.
Elements of the adult learning and post-secondary education component of the adult education and post-secondary services line of business.
This includes Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students, Special Professions Fund, and adult learning and post-secondary services – director.
Elements of the career development services component of the adult education and post-secondary services line of business.
This includes career development services – headquarters, Trades Education Program, and Skills Canada Nunavut.
The full line of business for income support headquarters, which consists of the Senior Citizen Supplementary Benefit, Income Support Headquarters Office, Income Support Case Management System, and Income Support Program compliance activities.
The Department of Education will continue to provide all services until March 31, 2013.
As of April 1, 2013, the following lines of business will remain with the Department of Education:
All components of the advisory and administrative services, K-12 school operations, and curriculum and school services lines of business will remain with the Department of Education.
The Department of Education will continue to deliver an early childhood services line of business that will include the Healthy Children Initiative, daycare grants and contributions, Young Parents Stay Learning, and early childhood services regional and headquarters functions.
The Department of Education will also deliver an adult learning services program, policy, and governance line of business that will include an adult learning services office, literacy, apprenticeship administration, Nunavut Adult Learning Strategy implementation – mature graduation, and general educational development.
The Department of Education will work closely with the Department of Family Services and offer the guidance needed to follow legislation and set policies that give the best support possible to the programs and services this new department provides.
We will be transferring 88.1 PYs and the budget of $57,645,000 to Family Services to ensure a smooth transition with no disruption to our clients.
In order to put Education’s plans into action, we have put forward a budget of $183.6 million for the 2013-14 fiscal year.
This is a $3.9 million increase over last year’s restated budget.
This increase includes $529,000 to cover costs associated with the NTA collective bargaining agreement, $2,684,000 to cover costs of the NEU collective bargaining agreement, and $763,000 for PASS, the new pathway to adult secondary school graduation. Called PASS for short, this is a new program in order to increase the number of adult graduates.
Studies have proven that children who take part in early child care programs are more likely to attain a higher level of education, economic success, and better health as an adult and are far less likely to get into trouble with the law.
We know that investment in early child care education is an investment we cannot afford to postpone.
We are going to need to be innovative and resourceful to provide the funding, infrastructure, and human resource training that will give all children the opportunity to participate in quality early childhood programming.
A Nunavut-wide early childhood education conference is being held in Iqaluit this March, bringing together early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers from all communities.
Participants will discuss how to strengthen the connection between early childhood and kindergarten and how to reach out to stay-at-home parents so that our young learners have the opportunity to participate in early childhood development activities that will help make them competent and eager learners.
It is important that our school system meets the legal standard set in the Education Act and the Inuit Language Protection Act for Inuit language instruction.
We are currently providing teachers with training on the revised kindergarten to grade 6 Inuktitut language arts curriculum.
The revised curriculum has added cultural content, using traditional storytelling, songs, and games to help us meet standards for Inuktitut proficiency.
Mr. Chairman, my department has increased its focus on career planning for our students.
Our goal is to improve graduation rates by helping students make better course selection choices based on their interests and skills so that they are more successful in their studies and more prepared to move on to post-secondary education.
Career planning is part of the curriculum for students in grades 7, 8, and 9.
Students first determine what areas of studies they want to learn more about, confirm their areas of interest by gathering more information, and then use the information they gathered to choose high school courses that will support their career choices.
To make sure all students are prepared to move on to post-secondary studies or the career of their choice, my department is drafting a needs assessment to begin drafting a delivery plan for distance education for specific senior high school courses.
Distance education will allow students the opportunity to study specific courses like advanced math or science if the courses are not being offered in their community.
(interpretation ends) To help us meet the Tamapta priority of improving education and training outcomes, the Adult Learning Services Division will continue working with Nunavut Arctic College to develop PASS, the pathway for adult secondary school graduation.
This program will combine recognition of prior learning assessment (RPL), literacy, adult basic education, and high school course completion and upgrading into one structure.
PASS is a component of the Adult Learning Strategy.
The Department of Education is committed to improving and expanding opportunities for Nunavut’s adult learners.
This new pathway for adult high school graduation will allow mature students to earn their High School Diploma so that they meet basic entry requirements for post-secondary study.
This is an important priority for our territory with great possibilities and unlimited potential.
This year, we have budgeted $763,000 to develop this program and we have begun work with Nunavut Arctic College to write job descriptions for PASS staff, as well as to assess and accredit adult basic education curriculum that will allow students to earn a High School Diploma through courses delivered by Nunavut Arctic College.
The Department of Education looks forward to continuing to provide innovative programs for the success and growth of Nunavummiut.
I am eager to work with the committee and my colleagues to build capacity, enhance training and education opportunities, and expand the role of lifelong learning in our capable and exceptional territory.
(interpretation) Mr. Chairman, I am happy to respond to questions from the committee.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Madam Minister Aariak.
Yes, I would like to bring in two officials, my Deputy Minister, Kathy Okpik, and Heather Moffett from the Department of Education.
Madam Minister, for the record, please introduce your witnesses.
To my left is Kathy Okpik, Deputy Minister of Education, and to my right is Heather Moffett from corporate services.
As the Co-chair of the Standing Committee on Social Wellness, I am pleased to make opening comments as we begin deliberations on the proposed 2013-14 budget of the Department of Education.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Education’s proposed 2013-14 operations and maintenance budget is $183.6 million, which, taking into account the transfer of a number of positions, divisions, and responsibilities to the Department of Family Services, represents an increase of approximately 2 percent over last year’s restated budget.
The standing committee notes that most of the additional funding is related to increases in compensation and benefits under both the Nunavut Employees Union and the Nunavut Teachers Association collective agreements.
Mr. Chairman, the establishment of the new Department of Family Services is intended to bring together various programs and services for children, youth, individuals, and families.
A number of these programs, including several that have been transferred from the Department of Education to Family Services, focus on education and training opportunities for adults and the related supports and services.
At the same time, however, the Department of Education will continue to offer a number of programs aimed at supporting adults who wish to improve their educational qualifications and access the related supports and services.
While the standing committee recognizes that a seamless transition of service delivery between the two departments is the goal, members caution the minister and her officials to work closely with their counterparts in Family Services to ensure that no individual receiving services or attempting to receive services falls through the cracks.
Mr. Chairman, one area of concern identified by committee members is the delivery of the Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students program, the FANS program.
A number of changes to the delivery of the program are anticipated and members encourage Department of Education officials to work closely with Family Services representatives to ensure that these changes and alternative funding options for those who do not qualify for FANS are clearly communicated to the target population.
Mr. Chairman, the Department of Education’s K-12 School Operations Division and the various programs that support the delivery of kindergarten to grade 12 schooling in Nunavut are critical to ensuring the future success of our young residents.
The standing committee recognizes that in recent years, the department has introduced a number of changes to options and requirements for high school graduation.
However, concerns remain that many of Nunavut’s high school graduates do not have the basic skill sets, especially in the areas of reading, writing, and arithmetic, that are necessary for continuing towards the career of their choice.
While members appreciate that efforts have been made to ensure that career guidance counselling is available to students, it appears that a focus on academic learning is lacking. Members are looking forward to further information from the minister on the levels of academic programming that are offered across all of Nunavut’s schools and communities.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee fully recognizes that the burden of ensuring that our students acquire a full and adequate education does not only fall to our hard-working teachers and school staff.
Committee members greatly appreciate and wish to acknowledge the high levels of effort and dedication that are put forward by Nunavut’s educational professionals each and every day.
The role of parents, community members, and elected district education authorities is also extremely important to supporting our students.
Committee members have noted that the issue of attendance is one of the most critical with respect to student success in school.
The standing committee notes that DEAs are responsible, amongst many other duties, for developing school attendance policies for their communities.
Members look forward to hearing of progress that has been made in this area and support and encourage all efforts related to promoting school attendance, including DEAs working with parents on this issue.
The standing committee has noted that some district education authorities have been more proactive than others is addressing the requirements provided for by the legislation, Nunavut’s Education Act.
Members encourage the minister and her officials to work with individual DEAs and the DEA coalition, especially for those DEAs which may require additional and ongoing support and assistance in this area.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee looks forward to the department’s new student information system being fully implemented across all of Nunavut’s communities. This system will compile information from student records as well as enrolment and attendance data and will allow improved trend evaluations in such areas as attendance, truancy, skill assessments, and achievement levels.
Committee members would further suggest that information also be compiled on career paths taken by high school graduates in order to help evaluate and assess the success of Nunavut’s K to 12 education system.
Mr. Chairman, the standing committee supports the department’s efforts to address community level needs in the area of early childhood education, including its proposed review of the Child Day Care Act.
The level of available daycare services varies greatly from community to community. For example, some communities have no facility while others have facilities but inadequate space or programming. It is well recognized that early childhood education can greatly foster development in the areas of language and culture which, in turn, support success when children have reached school age.
Committee members continue to encourage the minister to work with her colleague, the Minister responsible for Nunavut Arctic College, to promote more Nunavummiut becoming qualified to work at all levels of the education system.
I think we don’t need a reminder from our Rules 77(1) and 77(2). I think we all know what they are even if we don’t mention them.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman and also hon. minister.
I appreciate their efforts for giving education from K-12 and we support those initiatives as parents. We also tell our children and grandchildren in our communities that even though we love them very much, we have to keep waking them up in the mornings, even though they don’t want to go to school.
This is part of our responsibility and we would like to see them having a good education. We also support students graduating from the high school.
Her comments had different components, but there were some things that we don’t talk about too much that we’re hearing from the people, Mr. Chairman. There is now an increase of students who want to just drop out from the schools due to bullying. This has to be looked at and worked on.
We have seen bullying outside of Nunavut.
We have been hearing about it here in Nunavut. We would like to see our students have a proper education so that they can have a proper future. When some of the students are being bullied too much, they don’t want to go back to school.
Mr. Chairman, before this bullying escalates and before the student wants to drop out of school, let’s start doing something about it at the community level through the district education authorities. It has to start from the communities. The Department of Education probably could help with the planning on this issue.
This is a general comment. I will probably have some questions when we go page by page. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
On page 5 of the opening comments, I just want to make some comments on early childhood development.
In the smaller communities, they should be properly trained because they are helping our children so that they could have a good future. They need a proper place.
Also, when we’re allowed to ask questions on page 5, I will have some questions with regard to the Education Act. We’re looking at a vision for the smaller communities, which haven’t had a proper place.
I would like this to be thought of. Once we have an opportunity to ask some questions, I will have some. I just wanted to bring up how important this part is.
I also thank the minister and her officials for being here.
In regard to your opening comments, I just would like to make a general comment. There are people who feel like me in Nunavut. There are those who I went to school with.
If we didn’t have school, we wouldn’t know where we would be or what situation we would be in our lives.
We have been encouraged to go to school, not just by our parents but by the Government of Canada. In our past, Inuit had no concept of being a part of Canada.
Only when we were in school did we find out that we were a part of Canada. It was the federal government that enforced education and chided our parents that if their children weren’t in school, then the family allowance cheques would be cut off. That was how we ended up in school.
Even today, although we are no longer being threatened in this manner, we have had to utilize other methods of encouragement as we entered parenthood since we wanted our children to complete their education. It needed a different style of encouragement. We wanted to ensure that our children had the best opportunities in life after they completed their education and that has been the priority up to today.
Not all parents are enthusiastic about school, as some parents have found that although their children completed their high school education and although parents are still adamant about their schooling upon completion, the prospects of getting employment are no longer our priority.
We ought to never let it descend to that level.
We have to use different methods of encouragement for our children to complete their schooling, not just the workforce prospects, although the administrators are more aware of the challenges. Although we encourage our children, many of them don’t see the benefits of education and this has caused hardship for many parents. I wanted to voice my opinion on this matter while I have an opportunity under general comments.
Additionally, another aspect of which I take real pride in is that our fellow Inuit have the opportunity to be taught about Inuit culture whereas conversely, while we were in school, they tried to assimilate us. When we were in school, we were taught classes considered important in the outside world. Classes such as science, space technology, and the like were taught to us.
Although they weren’t relevant in our daily lives, one had no choice but to take them.
Information such as the number of stars revolving around the moon was a subject I learned while in grade 5, although I found out later that in real life, it is irrelevant information. I am just using that as an example, yet I have never forgotten that information either.
As I stated earlier about being proud of the changes today, more relevant subjects include classes on Inuit culture and more curriculum is entering the classes. I take pleasure in seeing that.
As parents, having had our culture belittled, we aren’t going to be teaching our children these subjects, but now they are available in our schools. I am very appreciative of these classes on Inuit cultural practices. Although students still go out on field trips, the cultural practices, games, and manner of teaching are ones we have neglected for too long.
Once we get to the page-by-page review, I’ll probably have some more questions and I’ll conclude my comments for now, Mr. Chairman.
If there are no more general comments, we will go to page G-4. We’re on Education. Branch Summary.
Directorate. Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $855,000.
Mr. Ningark (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also wish to thank the minister again, along with his officials.
In this category, branch planning is the goal, with legislation related to education stating the goal is to improve the future.
Obviously, the foundation is to provide proper education and a healthy life as well as a good environment for teachers and students.
As I mentioned earlier, we are starting to hear more cases of our young students being bullied by other students. The end result is the victims lose their enthusiasm for school and want to drop out. Prior to reaching this crossroad, has the department developed any plans to combat this?
We all want our children to attain a good education and to graduate.
We know that when they become adults, a good education provides a foundation for a productive life.
Does the department have any plans to combat bullying in the schools, especially those who bully their fellow students?
I also thank the member for asking a question on an extremely important issue.
The issue of bullying occurs not only in our schools, but also surfaces in our communities as well as in our workplaces and our schools. (interpretation ends) Bullying is a societal issue that takes place in homes, on the streets, sometimes in the office, in schools, and so on.
The Department of Education is committed to working collaboratively to provide schools, parents, communities, and agencies with the training processes and resources to address developing a safe and caring school environment. (interpretation) Our departmental officials, school staff, and our DEAs are initiating plans to combat this issue.
They are also firm believers that this is a very important issue we need to resolve. There are various levels of bullying that occur in the schools.
Within our schools, one of the principles is to provide a safe environment in our facilities and this is the basis for various programs.
As an example, the Department of Education has different programs designed to provide a proper education and to develop social skills as their bodies grow. One of the goals is healthy living. Those are the types of issues currently being contemplated.
I’m going to talk about different things called tribes in English. The teachers instruct the students on how they should… .
(interpretation ends) Tribe training helps teachers learn how to organize a classroom that encourages students to respect each other.
Some schools are using restitution approaches to improve school environments and interpersonal relationships between students. Many materials, resources, and curricula are available to assist schools to address the issues of healthy communities and safe schools.
(interpretation) They are also creating different curriculum to have a wellness community.
The contents of the Aulajaaqtut curriculum for grades 10 to 12 make the students understand that they have to live properly with others, to be confident and proud of themselves, and to understand whether you are a male or female, whether you are Inuk or non-Inuk, or if you have disabilities. These are different levels that they try to deal with. (interpretation ends) To reiterate in English, the Aulajaaqtut curriculum for grades 10 to 12 deals with understanding and developing healthy relationships, self-esteem, tolerance and understanding of others regardless of gender, race, or abilities.
(interpretation) Just to add further details on the types of curricula being developed in our schools, these are specific to junior high from grades 7 to 9, with the Aulajaaqtut curriculum classes being developed to be taught in Inuktitut, as well as resources, such as student or guidance counsellors, to resolve any difficulties the students may face and how best to resolve situations where the teachers and their assistants mistreat the students.
(interpretation ends) Work is being done to develop the modules that will be taught in the grades 7 to 9 Aulajaaqtut curriculum in Inuktitut. A working group of educators and school community counsellors are determining how to include approaches like conflict resolution and problem solving.
Curriculum and school services staff is developing a resource manual for schools on the topic of establishing positive school environments similar to the School Operations Manual.
(interpretation) Department of Education officials are also working on resources to develop further the principle of having a safe environment in our schools, to have a welcoming and happy environment for the students.