SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
New data has been released that solidifies what educators already know – literacy and numeracy scores in the NWT are lower than almost any other province or territory, and well below the national average.

Rita Mueller, assistant deputy minister for the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment, says she wasn't surprised at the low literacy and numeracy scores given to the NWT. She said, however, that the information showed the territory was on par with digital literacy, or the ability to use technology. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo

Rita Mueller, assistant deputy minister for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, told media in a briefing on Tuesday that the results were not surprising.

"We know we've been struggling for a long time in literacy and numeracy," Mueller said.

The data came from an international survey of 24 countries from which participants between the ages of 16 and 65 were given the option of completing a questionnaire on a computer or on paper and were tested on their language and math skills. There were more than 26,000 participants in Canada and NWT had 900, half of whom were aboriginal.

Statistics Canada took the results and listed provinces and territories compared to the other countries that took part. Out of all countries, provinces and territories, only Spain, Italy and Nunavut came below the NWT. Other countries with below average scores included Denmark, Germany, the United States and Ireland.

The scores of participants with post-secondary education were compared with the results of those without, and showed a correlation between education and literacy scores. Helen Balanoff, executive director of the NWT Literacy Council, said that correlation plainly showed the cause of the territory's low scores.

"Given the situation in the NWT, it's not surprising. If you look at our dropout figures it's obvious why we're scoring low," Balanoff said. "We have a significant group of people with lower levels of skills. It's disappointing, but not surprising."

The only score in Canada lower than the NWT was Nunavut and the highest scores went to Alberta, Ontario, PEI and the Yukon.

Mueller said the data will give ECE the ability to make evidence-based decisions regarding initiatives in early childhood and K-12 education which ECE has started recently.

"The timing couldn't be more perfect," Mueller said. "This will help us figure out where we have strength in our current programs and which areas we have to improve on."

When it comes to moving forward with programs and initiatives, Balanoff said departments can't look at national solutions and expect them to work for the NWT.

"One size doesn't fit all, yet we have a tendency to try and do that," Balanoff said. "We need to look at the needs of our own population and the unique challenges we have, like distance between communities and having isolated communities."

There was one positive result from the survey which showed that 76 per cent of respondents in the NWT were able to complete problem-solving challenges via computers, which means the territory is doing well in terms of digital literacy.

"In the category of technology we really did quite well, we're on par with the rest of Canada," Mueller said.

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