The president of the NWT Teachers’ Association says he’s not worried about delays to the GNWT’s education overhaul.
“I don’t think it’s to anyone’s surprise that they weren’t going to be finished (on schedule),” said NWTTA president Matthew Miller.
He said the teachers’ association inquires about the progress of the proposed educational reform every time the group meets with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE).
Miller praised the department for once again consulting with stakeholders, “which, at face value seems good, that they’re not just rushing through with their own mandate. They’re actually looking for input, and so I see that as a positive.”
Getting educational success in the NWT on par with the rest of Canada has been one of the 19th NWT Legislative Assembly’s stated priorities since being elected in 2019. Key to this commitment is an overhaul of the territory’s Education Act. This modernization will take place in two phases, both of which involve consultations with stakeholders: making technical amendments to the Education Act and drafting a piece of legislation to make structural changes to the act.
In December, ECE announced it would not complete its overhaul of the Education Act within the life of the current assembly. At the time, it was thought that the two phases of the overhaul would still take place at the same time, starting in 2022. However, on Wednesday the department announced it would not even begin work on the second phase of this overhaul within the life of the existing government, citing the one year left for the current assembly and a glut of other priorities.
“The department is pursuing limited technical amendments and as a result we will not be pursuing any structural changes, which are part of the second phase of modernization,” stated ECE spokesperson Briony Grabke. “Structural changes would only come in the future as they require extensive discussions and collaboration with Indigenous governments.”
The department also announced on Wednesday it’s in the process of re-engaging with Indigenous governments, educational bodies and other stakeholders on the non-structural changes proposed as part of the first step. Grabke said these non-structural changes include resolving “conflicting authorities” and streamlining access to data on student performance by the minister’s office.
She said the first round of engagement included more than 540 surveys and 40 online meetings with stakeholders.