GN to host second round of Education Act consultations in August

The Department of Education will host consultations at Apex’s Nanook school Sept. 2, the last day the GN is accepting public input on its proposed changes to the territory’s Education Act. (FILE PHOTO)

The Government of Nunavut will launch a second round of consultations through the month of August on its proposed changes to the territory’s Education Act.

The Department of Education is currently in the process of gathering feedback on its proposal which calls for, among other things, increased standardization across the territory and a shift in the role of district education authorities to transfer more responsibility to educators and school administrators.

Education officials will visit the following communities next month:

• Arviat on Aug. 16, 6 p.m. at Qitiqliq Middle school;

• Kuglutuk on Aug. 18, 6 p.m. at Jimmy Hikok Ilihavik;

• Pangnirtung on Aug. 22, 6 p.m. at Alookie school;

• Arctic Bay on Aug. 30, 6 p.m. at Inuujaq school; and,

• Apex on Sept. 2, 6 p.m. at Nanook school.

Sept. 2 marks the deadline for providing public feedback on the proposed changes, the GN said in a July 20 release.

Nunavut’s current Education Act came into force in 2008. Since then, the legislation has been through major reviews by the territory’s legislative assembly as well as the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

Among changes to the act that have been proposed:

• increasing standardization across the territory, including instruction minutes and language of instruction by subject and grade level;

• shifting more responsibility onto educators and administrators, rather than to district education authorities;

• re-focusing the role of DEAs on advocacy, policy governance and local programming;

• defining the roles and responsibilities of principals and teaching staff;

• better defining lines of accountability and responsibility between the GN and the territory’s only French-language school board, the Conseil scolaire francophone du Nunavut; and,

• clarifying the role of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit within the legislation.

Nunavummiut can read more about the proposed changes here.

Nunavut’s education minister, Paul Quassa, has said he hopes to have the new act in place by the fall of 2017.