EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We have asked the district education authorities to provide us with names of individuals that they would like to get certification to be able to assist with the delivery of programs in the schools, and that’s a separate item.
Again under the Directorate, would it not be the directorate that would be creating policies or possible legislation to give authority for elders within the department to do their job?
I’ll ask my deputy minister to correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that that responsibility under the Act allows the district education authorities to use elders in the schools for different types of programming that they choose.
The department has provided guidelines on some of the things that they look for and what the district education authorities would need to look at and provide when they bring forward an individual’s name for recommendation that the certificate be issued to that individual.
We have provided them with the guidelines and a handbook to be able to assist them in being able to identify those individuals.
In terms of a teacher, we qualify and quantify learning objectives for them to be able to be hired.
I guess you were saying the same thing is happening with the elders in terms of level of skill and knowledge.
Again, we want to be able to recognize the experience that the elders have and have it recognized in a formal way.
Is this handbook created and available for us to see?
Minister Tootoo
Hon. Hunter Tootoo: Thank you Mr. Chairman.
This handbook has been developed and distributed to the district education authorities and I would have no problem providing it to the members as well.
Again I was really happy when all of the announcements came up from the Department of Education about elders being used in the classroom and that sort of knowledge being captured.
So I’m really enjoying the fact that we’re getting information on how these elders are going to be treated.
Originally I thought they were going to be GN employees or covered under the NEU.
You had mentioned that they will actually be hired and monies given to the DEAs.
So these elders who are hired, they’re not actually technically Government of Nunavut employees and are not falling under the collective agreement for the Nunavut Teachers or the NEU.
The member is quite correct; those individuals will be employees of the district education authorities.
Again, what we want to work towards is… . One of the goals of the Department of Education is with the training you were talking about for the elders.
Is it working towards building them into the system so that they do become… ?
Again, we’re talking about qualifications. Elders have got all of this knowledge, but there’s no way of quantifying it.
So I’m just wondering: is that something that the Department of Education is working towards so that they can actually be recognized?
Again, myself as an educator, I get hired, I’m under the NEU, I have access to a pension and benefits and a settlement allowance, all of those things that a regular Government of Nunavut employee does.
From what you’re saying, the elders are not going to be covered under that; they’re getting payment from the DEA.
To me, they should be treated the same way as a regular teacher or instructor that’s at the school.
These individuals that the DEAs are suggesting or bringing forth to us to give certification to be able to assist teaching in the schools on some of the projects are usually proposal-based projects and on a casual basis.
They’re not full-time, indeterminate positions. So it’s just community school by school, project by project based employment that they have.
Some of the things that they do, Mr. Chairman; they are involved in things like supervising and instructing camping or land trips and they help students to develop and learn traditional survival skills, the co-instruction of Nunavut-based models and career and technology studies, courses for the high school students, language nesting and revitalization initiatives, traditional skill development programs, including sewing, carpentry, kayak making, and things like that, as well as instruction on traditional ecological knowledge, and science focus camps for academic credit.
It sounds like the intention of the Department of Education is to continue to hire them on casual contracts through the DEAs when needed, so that helps.
In terms of speaking about the land trips and the cultural component to the new Education Act and the responsibilities of the DEAs, that was something I found very exciting when it was starting to roll out is the fact that if communities, schools, and DEAs can take more responsibility about what content is actually taught and promoted in their schools. So if they want to promote land trips more, that’s a possibility.
So it’s great that the elders can supplement and help with that.
In terms of regulations for those land trips, and I’m assuming the we just repealed the outfitter’s insurance and then now it’s up to outfitters to take people out, are guidelines in place in terms of when these land trips occur, when we take our youth out on the land to make sure that their safety is insured?
It’s my understanding, as trips like these are planned, they’re incorporated into the school plan and reviewed and approved by the district education authorities.
In cases like land trips, they also work with risk management as well to ensure that those things are looked after.
In terms of standards, if they are travelling out with one of the elder instructors, is that fine?
Do they have to go out with a qualified outfitter?
Again, if you go out with a qualified outfitter, then there is a significant cost incurred and that might actually impede some of the ability of the DEAs to take the youth out on the land.
It’s my understanding that there is a requirement to have a guide along with the group.
Your department has made significant progress in the drafting of new regulations to accompany the new Education Act.
Has the consultation process proved effective to date in developing these regulations and, if not, what are some of the most significant challenges you are facing?
We have made some progress in this area. Unfortunately, it’s my understanding that it’s taking a little longer than we had initially anticipated.
The reason this is happening is because the district education authorities have told us that things were coming down too fast for them.
So the approach that we’re taking is that we would rather take a little longer to make sure that we get it right and make sure that there is an adequate opportunity for them to provide feedback.
We’ve also had specific things like targeted staff from the department actually phoning and they will have phone calls with district education authority members to discuss the regulations.
These conference calls or phone calls or meeting like this are done in English and some are done in Inuktitut for the unilingual members to help ensure that they understand what roles and responsibilities and what these regulations mean.
They need more time. They have indicated that they don’t want to have any consultations during the summer period when nobody’s in school.
Instead of the department saying, “Well, we set this deadline and we want to stick to it,” they are listening to the concerns that have been brought forward by our partners in the communities and taking the approach that we would rather take our time and do it right so that there are no surprises in the end.
The new Education Act includes requirements for elder educators and school counsellors.
Does every school in Nunavut currently have the appropriate number of new staff and, if not, how many schools still require them?
It’s my understanding that most of them do have those staff.
Give me a moment, I’ll look it up. Just a second, I’ll find the information.
Sorry about the delay. There a few different binders here where I’ve got to find the information.
Mr. Chairman, I know for the 2010-11 fiscal year, we have approved positions in the schools and I’ll go through them.
For a grand total, there are a little over 153 student support assistants, 86.5 language specialists, and 43 community school counsellors.
That touches on the areas that the member is looking for.
Mr. Elliott: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With those statistics, I wanted to go back to some of the questioning yesterday in terms of the government’s student-instructor ratio. It sounds like we’re already at 15:1 and we want to aspire to getting to 14:1, which is higher than the national average of 14:2.
I think the first question I wanted to ask was the list of the positions that he named off in terms of student support assistants, language specialists, and school community counsellors. If you could clarify when you are doing the calculation of 14:1, is that student to teacher as in a qualified teacher who has gone through either the NTEP program with a B.Ed or is it a student instructor, which would include all of these other support people as well?
I would like to thank the member for asking that question as there seems to be a lot of confusion around that.
I remember during the development of the Act, there was a lot of back and forth debate on it, which I was on the other side at the time.
Mr. Chairman, the Nunavut student-educator ratio is not just teachers.
As I indicated yesterday, I believe it includes principals, vice principals, teachers, student support assistants, guidance counsellors, librarians, and positions like that.
Mr. Chairman, I indicated yesterday that we just got the enrolment numbers in.
Over the next six weeks, we hope to be able to work with the school principals and the district education authorities to determine where to best utilize additional staff, if they are coming into their schools, and to identify the greatest needs within the schools so we can get the best use out of these individuals in each school.
Again, with trying to reach 14:1, when does your department anticipate reaching that?
Once the budget is passed, you will have the resources to be able to fill that capacity of 14:1.
As I had indicated, these positions are in the budget and we’re in the planning stages right now and developing where those positions would go, again, based on enrolment. I think it’s important to reiterate what I said yesterday that some communities, based on enrolment in their schools, could stay the same, some could increase, and some could decrease; it just depends on what the enrolment is in the schools.
In your earlier comments where you had talked about the new Education Act, the support from the DEAs, the phone calls that were being done, teleconferences, there was a meeting, and issues that are being brought forward by the DEAs, is one of the issues that’s come up with the DEAs the attendance policy that’s mentioned in the Education Act?
It’s my understanding that there haven’t been issues with the policy itself; it’s more just the issue of attendance, period.
I think the department is taking great strides in working with our district education authorities, our community partners, to try and identify some of the things that are causing attendance problems that we’re seeing, whether it would be through the work that we’re doing in developing a student record system to be able to track it on a daily basis and through different things like multiple options and creating safe school environments. We’re all working together with them to try making school something that the students are attracted to and want to come to school.
In the Act itself, does it allow… ? If there is truancy, is there a dollar figure or a charge that would end up being levied on parents for not sending their children to school?
There isn’t anything like that in the Act.
As I indicated, I know this is a situation that we have seen as a problem over the years. We’re taking a lot of steps working with them to try and identify ways to ensure that students come to school.
We have done things like developed a program where it’s not okay to be away.
There is a lot of work being done in trying to look at parental engagement.
The role of the department is to provide a safe learning environment for these kids to be in, but there is also a role for the parents to play to ensure that their children attend school and are ready to be there and attend it.
So we’re looking at bringing back parent-teacher interviews and student interviews, where you’re involving the parent, the student, and the teacher.
That happens in some communities.
In some communities, they are just parent-teacher interviews.
So these are some of the things that the department is doing to try and address the issue of attendance across the territory.
For my next question, I was hoping that the minister could expand.
He had mentioned in his opening comments about working with the Department of Economic Development and Transportation and being a part of the Poverty Reduction Working Group in terms of the directorate, where policies are implemented and coordination of capital planning, and whatnot.
When Minister Curley was before us talking about the $500,000 in his department’s budget for the breakfast program, he was talking about the possible purchase of dishwashers and items like that.
That would definitely have an impact on the breakfast program in the schools if that’s where those materials are going to end up.
I was just wondering if the minister could explain specifically how his department sees their role or their commitment as part of the Anti-Poverty Strategy.
As I indicated yesterday, the role that the department plays on the Poverty Deduction Working Group is… . Again, the group is led by the Department of Economic Development and Transportation and the role that we have is we’ve got our director of income support who sits in that working group.
What we have been doing is just providing information and data under the current programs that are out there under the umbrella of income support and also information on where and how breakfast and snack programs are offered currently in the communities where we have it available.
I know that in a lot of cases, as I indicated yesterday, these programs operate out of the school. They are not operated by the schools; they are operated by volunteers or a group within the community.
The department is very happy and works with them to be able to provide the space for them to be able to operate those programs in any of the schools.
Mr. Elliott, you basically have just enough time to say “thank you” to the Chair.
With the 15 seconds I have left, I just figured… .
In terms of when the implementation of the strategy comes out, do you see your department as playing a larger role considering that you have the largest group of our population attending your schools?
Minister Tootoo, did you want to comment on that?
As we are a part of the working group and as I indicated that a lot of these programs are operated out of the schools, we see ourselves as being a partner in this process and we will continue to work with the departments and the working group to provide these programs across the territory in the capacity that we have.
Just a few very quick questions that are community-specific. In regard to the new high school in Sanikiluaq, how many new PYs are going to be associated with that new school?
It’s my understanding that there will be three additional PYs: there will be a custodian, secretary, and a school community counsellor.
The school is due to be open fairly soon, they say.
Do you anticipate these positions being filled this year or will you be waiting until September to fill these positions?
It’s our hope that when the school opens, we will be filling those positions this year.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Chairman (interpretation ends) I was going to ask what Mr. Elliott already asked on the new regulation with the new Education Act, but (interpretation) it was already answered and I thank you for that.
My question is: are we asking questions page by page or can we ask questions on any particular page?
Chairman: Thank you, Ms. Ugyuk. (interpretation) At this time, you can ask questions under Directorate on page G-4.
Ms. Ugyuk (interpretation): I will ask questions when we get to the appropriate page as I don’t have any questions under (interpretation ends) Directorate.
Under Directorate, I have a question.
I received correspondence from a mother who was concerned about the students being sent early because their educators and teaching staff have to have a meeting during the day.
Correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Chairman.
I think this particular branch summary deals with the delivery of education services in communities.
Having recognized that activity, my question to the minister is: who approves the teachers or educators having meetings during the day and sending the children home?
Should I bring this before the DEAs or is it the appropriate time now to ask the minister? Is this concern to do with district education authorities or should I bring the matter to you, Mr. Chairman?
I believe these kinds of questions can be asked under the K-12 stuff, but it’s my understanding that staff are allowed early closures to plan. I’m not sure if it’s in the collective agreement or with the teachers association. Hopefully by the time we get to K-12, I’ll find that out.
They are allowed 45 hours per year for planning, and I’m sure it would be up to the school administration to determine that, along with the district education authority to plan it out so that they are aware of it too.
The reason I brought this to your attention, Mr. Minister, is that the mother was quite concerned and she thought, in her letter to me, that education was one of the priorities as a mother.
She thought that her kids attending school is very important in the community.
So my understanding is that perhaps this is more or less to do with the local district education authority. That’s my understanding.
I would say that is something that would most appropriately, I believe, be raised with the principal and the district education authority in the community.
I would just also like to add that if the member has any troubles in that area, please don’t be afraid to advise me. If there’s anything I or my staff can do to help him out, I would be more than happy to do that.
Education. Branch Summary. Directorate.
Total Operations and Maintenance, to be Voted. $872,000.
Chairman: Okay, we can go to Branch on the next page, G-5. Branch Summary.
Education. Policy and Planning. Total Operations and Maintenance. $1,154,000.
Mr. Schell: I’ve just got to throw one question in here. On page 105 of your business plan, it indicates that a review of the Child Day Care Act will be a priority in 2012-13.
What aspects of the current legislation will be targeted in this review?
The main focus of this is going to be looking at any changes that are required to the Child Day Care Act as a result of the coming into force and making sure it’s compliant with the Inuit Language Protection Act.
Also in your business plan for 2010-11, it originally indicated that one of your department’s priorities for 2011-12 would be to implement a comprehensive communication strategy.
I would like to know what the status on that strategy is.
Maybe if I can ask the member to identify where he is getting that.
Mr. Schell, maybe you could help us to make reference to where you are coming from.
Mr. Schell: I’m trying to find it. I can’t find it now but I know it’s in here.
I guess I’ll pass it on to somebody else. I’ll find it and I’ll get back to him.
It seems like it’s a contagious thing here.
Mr. Chairman, I can’t find what he is referring to in there, but I would be more than happy to sit down with the member after and he can point out exactly where he is getting that information from.
I would be more than happy to provide him with the information at that time.
Maybe you thought I was Mr. Rumbolt or something.
I was just joking about the names being flipped around. Sorry.
Again, with what Mr. Schell said on page 105 in terms of looking at the regulations for the Child Day Care Act, I’m wondering if one of the things… .
When you’re looking at the policies, will you be entertaining the idea of possibly helping assisting communities with infrastructure for those daycares?
The department doesn’t have funding geared towards capital or any money budgeted for capital.
We provide O&M funding to the daycares and also funding to buy things like toys and things like that for the kids to utilize in the daycare, but in our budget, we don’t have any money specifically for the development of capital.
Having said that, Mr. Chairman, it has been a long-standing commitment of the department that whenever we’re seeing new infrastructure or renovations going on in communities, we’re looking at integrating child care space in any new facilities.
I would suggest that maybe, Mr. Elliott, if you can stay out of capital as we’re dealing with O&M.
Yes, I can stay out of capital.
The department that we’re dealing with in terms of policy and planning, part of their role could be developing a policy that would say that they would assist with that.
So my question was geared towards: would the department be willing to… ?
Since they’re going to be reviewing this Child Day Care Act, while they’re reviewing it and thinking about it, would there be a possibility of considering the policy of including that in there?
I wasn’t asking for capital dollars, I was asking if they would think about the policy.
Again this next one is in regard to questions that I have been asking in the House about the ASIST workshops and what has been happening with that across the territory.
In terms of the Suicide Prevention Strategy, we have gotten updates from the Minister of Health on this.
Since this is a policy and planning section of the O&M, I was just wondering if the minister could commit to… . This is where the policies are written and once they’re written and reviewed, they become standards across the territory, a policy of allowing every teacher in the territory the ability to take this workshop.
I just want to assure the members that we encourage and support training for all of our school staff to ensure that they have the skills and confidence in assisting with emergencies that may occur in the school or in the community.
Having said that, Mr. Chairman, I believe I said in September 2009, we had offered the ASIST training to approximately 120 teachers, and that was something that was jointly funded by the Department of Education and the Nunavut Teachers Association.
We have also offered the ASIST program to our community school counsellors who are entering into new positions and going into the school.
Part of the training that they take does consist of the ASIST training.
It’s also my understanding that it was again offered to approximately 20 teachers last February at a teachers’ conference here in Iqaluit.
In May of 2010, the training was provided to teachers at Nasivvik High School in Pond Inlet.
Just this past week, the week of February 21 to 25, the program was offered as a professional improvement option to teachers in Cambridge Bay during the Kitikmeot Regional Teachers Conference.
We continue to work with the Department of Health and Social Services, our schools, and the district education authorities in the delivery of training school staff when it’s requested.
To me, the question wasn’t totally answered. I will rephrase it.
Could the minister commit to having his policy people who are hired under this division work towards looking into the possibility of creating a policy to provide ASIST training to every Nunavut instructor across the territory?
If the member is asking if we would include that as part of the professional development course that the teachers have to take, I think that’s something that we would have to work in conjunction with the Nunavut Teachers Association.
It’s my understanding that all of the professional development stuff is included in the collective agreement, but if there’s a general consensus with the union to include this option, which I believe I indicated, it’s something that is generally offered anytime we have student conferences on a regular basis already.