Tuk wants school expansion
Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services
Inuvik (Feb 16/01) - Jean Gruben wants an expansion built for Mangilaluk school to deal with overcrowding.
Gruben, a member of the Tuktoyaktuk District Education Authority, made her request during the recent meeting of the Beaufort-Delta Education Council.
Director James Anderson said the hands of the BDEC, and the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, are tied by the territorial government's capital standards.
"The physical size of the school, as everything else in our region, is generated or driven by the number of students," Anderson said.
He said that according to the standards, Mangilaluk -- which has about 240 students -- could house up to 330.
Therefore, Anderson said, the Government of the Northwest Territories is arguing an expansion is not warranted.
Gruben said high school students in particular are losing out, in part because there isn't any one section of the school used exclusively by those in the higher grades.
"Our people are suffering," Gruben said. "It's too much government power, where's the community power? We have to have community power."
Anderson said the formula needs to be changed.
"Everything is driven by student numbers, not driven by need," he said.
During the weekend two members of the Inuvik DEA agreed with Gruben that local DEAs must become more politically active.
Chair Mary Beckett said the DEA has written a letter to the GNWT requesting additional resources, like extra teachers and assistants.
As well, Gerri Sharpe-Staples said she was involved in a petition signed by more than 600 people, asking the GNWT for resource support for students.
"We know that our teachers are doing the best job they can with what they have," Sharpe-Staples said. "They do need more resources to work with."
