The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) is re-engaging with Indigenous Governments and education bodies on proposed technical amendments to the Education Act, following engagement that took place in the summer of 2021.
Guided by engagements with Indigenous Governments, education leaders, the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association, parents, special interest groups and the public, ECE is taking a phased approach to modernize the Education Act, with technical amendments to be made to the Act during the life of the 19th Legislative Assembly, and broader discussions around modernizing the structure and governance of the Northwest Territories (NWT) education system to continue beyond the life of this government.
Phase one of modernization consists of making technical amendments to address issues that have been identified by the Office of the Auditor General and the Education Renewal and Innovation evaluation, and that were acknowledged as needing immediate attention or that received no significant comments of concern during the engagement period.
The intention of the second phase of modernization is to lay the foundation for a modern education system through comprehensive legislative changes that will address the overall structure and governance of the education system in the NWT.
Work on both phases was planned to begin at the same time. However, given the legislative agenda of the GNWT and ECE, including several legislative initiatives underway through the Intergovernmental Council process, there is not sufficient capacity to begin phase two work during the life of this government. With one year remaining in this Legislative Assembly, ECE is turning its focus to legislative initiatives that can be completed during this government. While this delay is unfortunate, it does not diminish ECE’s commitment to working collaboratively with Indigenous governments and education bodies on modernizing the Education Act.
