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Education budget approved after lengthy debate

Department grilled about counsellors, standards and funding for schools

PATRICIA D’SOUZA

The need for student counsellors and new buildings to replace crumbling schools is not addressed in the education department’s 2002-3 budget, MLAs said last week.

"I didn’t hear anyone reporting on the community school counsellors since there are more students in schools and some of the students are suffering through overcrowding and lack of space," Quttiktuq MLA Rebekah Williams told the committee of the whole, which reviewed the budget’s main estimates line by line.

"Due to this lack of space and attention, most children start to misbehave. The teachers end up babysitting other people’s children and not really teaching due to this lack of materials. Since the students are increasing every year, there should be more community school counsellors in the classrooms."

During committee of the whole budget sessions, which take place after question period has ended, MLAs have the opportunity to make 10-minute statements as each department presents its budget, and ask questions on how the money will be spent.

The budget was debated over four days, beginning last Wednesday, and approved without change.

Less money for new schools

The education department has the largest budget within the Nunavut government, at $172 million. Operations and maintenance funding accounts for $152 million, a slight increase over last year. But the department’s capital budget has actually decreased.

That’s because the number of capital projects — new schools and related facilities — is projected to be lower this year.

Nanulik MLA James Arvaluk asked the minister if this decision would be reviewed. "Is there going to be any money set aside for new schools or additions? I do know that there’s not much set aside for new schools or additions to existing schools. I was wondering if you will be reviewing this," he said.

"If I use Coral Harbour as an example, the school is extremely overcrowded and there is no plan as to when they will be receiving a new school."

Education Minister Peter Kilabuk said that the capital budget has been set and will not be reviewed, adding that the allocation of $2.8 million toward hiring new teachers more than makes up for the decline in capital spending, though it doesn’t take into account the need for extra space.

Fifteen new teachers

The additional money could put about 15 new teachers in Nunavut schools, said Lou Budgell, president of the Nunavut Federation of Teachers.

About 80 per cent of the new funding will go toward salaries, benefits, moving costs and northern allowances. The remainder will go toward resources and teaching materials to accommodate the new positions.

But the new funding and extra positions only account for recent growth in the school system. Fifteen teachers is not even one teacher per community, and won’t be enough to make up for the longstanding teacher shortage in Nunavut, MLAs told Kilabuk.

"There are more students, so we’ll just up [the department’s funding] a little bit to meet that need and everything is going to stay the same," said Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo.

"It is not doing these kids, our kids, our future, any good. Unless we make some changes to that, we are going to have a continual substandard level of education."

The issue of pupil-teacher ratios needs immediate attention, Tootoo continued the following day. "Unless it is addressed by the minister, things are going to stay the same — and the same is just not good enough," he said.

"There’s something wrong with the system and we have to change it." Tootoo pointed to Nunavut’s 50 per cent drop-out rate, and a math test taken by students across the country that showed that 13- and 16-year-old students in Nunavut perform at levels dramatically below every other province or territory.

"I’d like to have the minister provide us with a wish list — what do they need to see levels increase so we can see a higher standard of education. We have a great [high school] curriculum. Alberta is doing great with it. We need to find out what we need and strive to find ways to do it."

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