Why do high school grads lack numeracy and literacy skills?

Why do so many graduates from Grade 12 need to attend foundation courses to qualify for trade and academic college courses?

Perhaps, we should ask, why are so many students throughout Nunavut, especially in some smaller communities, lacking in literacy and numeric skills? Is our school system short-changing our students?

On another but related topic: Why are so many students dropping out of school? Is it due to a lack of literacy and numeric skills at an early age? Is it due to lack of parental-guardian support? Is there a “disconnect” between parent, guardians and teachers?

Have we lost our youth to a southern style “celebrity” culture? Are our youth too occupied with communicating with one another and not with responsible adults in their life? Is it due to easy money from welfare and social assistance funding?

We have very intelligent and very capable students. We have teachers as good you will find anywhere in Canada. And without doubt, we have some of the most enlightened, creative and exciting programs being delivered in our schools that can be found anywhere.

Only a few of our students go on to succeed in trade schools, colleges and universities throughout the country and other parts of the world. So what is the problem?

We blame crowded housing, a huge and growing youth population, negative residential school experiences, not enough employment opportunities and so on, just to mention a few points. These are all valid causes, but as a new territory, teething problems are part our early stages of development.

Since the time of division we in Nunavut can be proud of what we have accomplished, but we have still a long way to go. The world is changing rapidly. There are many things we can and should do as quickly as possibly if we want to survive with confidence, dignity and pride, knowing we have done our best.

As a suggestion, perhaps the Coalition of Nunavut District Education Authorities, with the assistance of the Department of Education, might consider organizing a series of public workshops similar in style to the community dialogue workshops currently organized by the Department of Economic Development’s Anti-Poverty Secretariat.

The difference, being of course, that these workshops focus on developing effective measures to improve our education system and methods to better engage us in our children’s education and well being.

This system of public dialogue has been used in other jurisdictions in Canada to very good effect. It is possibly more effective than hiring, at great expense, experts from outside Nunavut to conduct one-time consultations rather than involve and engage you and me in dealing with our own problems on an “on-going” basis. The experts can be called upon for their input but we must call the shots and take responsibility.

Frank Pearce
Iqaluit

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