From Hansard
Aurora College's review
Northern News Services
Monday, March 13, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When the legislative assembly is in session, question period is held each day. News/North will publish particularly interesting or newsworthy excerpts when warranted.
This week features an exchange between MLA Kieron Testart (Kam Lake) and Education Minister Alfred Moses on the Aurora College controversy. With Speaker Jackson Lafferty moderating:
Question on the foundational review of Aurora College, March 6.
MR. TESTART: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like follow up with the minister on this Aurora College next steps statement he made this morning around the foundational review. My honourable friend from Hay River North made some comments about this, but one of the things that surprised me is that the terms of reference for the foundational review are not yet known.
My question for the minister today is: the strategic plan, which the department and the college have been working on for a while, how is that different from the foundational review? I will start with that. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
HON. ALFRED MOSES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The strategic plan was going to focus on the vision of the college, working on the Skills 4 Success Action Plan, looking at programs and services that will be provided for our NWT residents.
The foundational review, as was discussed, was to take a look at the whole college system and look at some of the things that the honourable member for Hay River had mentioned, such as administration, programs that we are
|providing, looking at them from the ground up.
Looking at everything within Aurora College will be done externally, so we want to build on some of the work that we have received already from the strategic plan work, and it will build on to the foundational review as we move forward. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
MR. TESTART: Thank you. I am afraid that, with some dread, I hear that a labyrinthine process of plans upon plans upon plans (is) being contemplated by the department. I wonder: can the minister give some assurance that this is not going result in more action plans and strategies and will actually result in results?
We have been waiting for a year for a strategic plan that has now transformed into a foundational review, so are we going to be waiting another year to see this review, or are we going to get moving on postsecondary education in the Northwest Territories?
HON. ALFRED MOSES: We are moving on post-secondary education in the Northwest Territories currently. We do have a lot of programs and services. We work with partners such as College nordique and Dechinta.
In terms of the discussions and the debate that we have had in this house regarding the two programs that we are looking at for reductions, it sparked a lot of different views and discussions from the public and from members in this legislative assembly that drove us to look at a foundational review of the entire system and the core of what Aurora College is.
As I mentioned in my statement, we should have the completion of the review done this fall, 2017, with an implementation target set for the 2018-19 academic year.
MR. TESTART: I agree with the minister. It's not about two programs. It's about more than $30 million we spend on post-secondary that, by everyone's assessment, is not working but is still something students need in the Northwest Territories. So I am pleased that we are taking this seriously, but, again, the pace of this is frustrating. I think these are not new issues.
These are issues we were well aware of going in. In fact, when we began the mandate process, through business plans these issues have been raised again and again and again.
The statement that the Minister made also spoke of a post-secondary education act.
When does the Minister plan to implement that act?
HON. ALFRED MOSES: Yes, we are doing an overarching post-secondary education legislation. We are going through the processes right now. That means bringing an LP forward to standing committee and then having to go through the bill process, so I don't have a firm timeline for the Member right now, but I can get that information for him and share it with him, from the department.
MR. SPEAKER: Masi.
