Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Nov 05/99) - Minister of Education Michael Miltenberger sat down before the Fort Simpson District Education Authority while making stops in several Deh Cho communities recently.

According to the minutes of the meeting, he said the recurring issues in all areas of the NWT are special needs and pupil-teacher ratio. Among non-monetary issues that have to be addressed are family, culture and an appreciation of education, he contended.

The Deh Cho, he said, is the best operated region in the NWT due to its effective management, healthy surplus and class sizes the envy of other communities.

In response to Coun. Shane Thompson's misgivings about a potential teachers' strike, Miltenberger said contingency plans have been in the works and the boards would be informed of plans for schools, students and other obligations.

On another front, Thompson asked whether the NWT will follow Nunavut's lead by eliminating divisional education councils and health boards. Miltenberger said he cannot foresee disposing of a regional board and going back to a government structure. However, he said he can see an amalgamation of the two boards, similar to what the Dogrib have done. Self-government has to be considered, and education cannot be looked at separately from family, health and employment, he suggested.

Thompson broached the issue of special needs in the school. He said there are insufficient resources to support inclusive schooling. Student-teacher ratios do not take special needs into account, he argued. Miltenberger conceded that this is currently the greatest issue in NWT schools. One of the problems is that "special needs" must be defined, he said. He also suggested that one would be hard-pressed to find the level of service and infrastructure in other jurisdictions comparable to that in the NWT.

Coun. Scott McAdam asked whether inclusive schooling is working or if the students are getting a false sense of security by going through school and expecting to adjust to society when they get out. He also wanted to know how long it will take to get information on special needs for cabinet to address. Miltenberger replied that he hopes the figures will be available in the spring. He added that schools cannot fix the problem of FAS/FAE. The option of alternative schools is being looked at, he said. Further, he said initiatives like the Aboriginal Head Start Program have proven successful. Aboriginal governments have access to pools of money and an effort should be made to collaborate on common issues, he said.

Thompson asked about the success rate of NWT students who go south for post-secondary school. He noted that a "success" is considered someone who enrols in higher education, not someone who completes it. Miltenberger said the numbers are currently derived through student loans, but the Department of Education is beginning to track completion rates now. One problem is that NWT students get "snapped up" before they come back and that has to change, he said.

Chairperson Betty Hardisty asked if there have been any talks with the federal government about changing formula funding. Miltenberger said they are trying to negotiate a lower claw-back. At present, for every dollar of revenue earned outside the formula, the federal government takes back 80 cents, he noted. It's imperative to get the aboriginal governments and the GNWT to come to a consensus and then negotiate a Northern Accord with the federal government, he suggested.