Alfred Moses

I don't have the exact dates, but I could get it to the Member if he wishes. Probably in the fall time was when we made that announcement, and they went out and started doing their consulting.

Based on enrolments and how many students are going to be in the school system, we are going to be fully funding junior kindergarten this fall. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

As I mentioned, we do have one of the best Student Financial Assistance programs in the country, and we do support our students. We've made improvements to that program. The students who are impacted with the reductions that were brought forth through the Aurora College system, those things are still going to get the support that they need moving forward. Any transitions that are going down south to another institution, they'll continue to work with University of Saskatchewan to make sure that the students get that education and can be teaching here in the North.

As I mentioned, it is a really good news story that this government has stepped up to fully fund junior kindergarten. The next step, after we made the announcement from the budget address, was that our department is meeting with superintendents and working with the school boards to look at how we're going to be rolling out junior kindergarten this fall, and also looking at how we're going to be able to utilize that money that was announced in the budget.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, Aurora College does have the autonomy to make these decisions when they are looking at reductions. As I mentioned earlier, when we have low enrolment rates, low graduation rates, but we still have a full staff, those are decisions that we have to look at, how we spend our dollars more efficiently, the tax-payer dollars. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Aurora College has met with each of the five access students who are going to be impacted. These private meetings were to discuss options, both at the Aurora College for other possible programming or other postsecondary institutions, depending on what the students' career path needs are, and interests, so they have met with them to move forward and helping them look at where they want to go in their career. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Yes, when we have time, I will be getting out and having discussions with the superintendents as well as the boards to make sure we do have that smooth transition and roll-out of junior kindergarten.

I would be pleased to sit down with committee and discuss some of these reductions within the college at the convenience of committee, whenever there is time. I would be more than happy to do that.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I mentioned, we have staff at the department, after this announcement was made, reaching out to the superintendents as well as the school boards to start having those discussions about safety, about busing. Those discussions, as I mentioned, are happening right now, so we are going to have to wait to see what comes out of that. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to provide clarification on the implementation of junior kindergarten in the Northwest Territories. I think we can all agree that we want to give NWT children the support they need to thrive and be successful, Mr. Speaker.

Junior kindergarten is one of the ways this government is going to give the NWT's kids the best start that we can. Junior kindergarten will provide four-year-old children with the necessary foundation for learning in the early years of their life. It provides a safe and caring environment and promotes the cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual, and...