Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am following up on my statement earlier this sitting on the need for better literacy screening and supports in our schools.
In response to my questions on October 20th, the ECE Minister noted there is currently no intent to update the NWT literacy strategy which expired in 2018 and referenced the 2030 early learning and childcare strategy as well as the early learning framework, suggesting both documents emphasized literacy. So naturally I reviewed these documents. And, Mr. Speaker, literacy is not mentioned once in either of them, nor is reading. So while they might speak to early learning related to literacy, they are not at all a replacement for a literacy strategy which addresses literacy from childhood through adulthood that the previous literacy strategy did.
Furthermore, I understand that the community literacy development fund is still administered under the expired literacy strategy. So we're funding programming under a strategy which expired seven years ago. It doesn't make sense to me, and I'll be seeking clarification on this later today.
In her responses to my earlier questions, the Minister also noted that our schools have shifted to the BC curriculum which has an assessment framework and tools will be afforded to teachers to do these assessments. I do appreciate that, and I appreciate the Minister's commitment to look into the screening of assessment tools used in other jurisdictions to see if we need to be doing more. In BC, early literacy screening intervention and outreach support for schools, including school district professional development, was scheduled to begin rollout in the 2024-2025 school year. The BC government announced an investment of $30 million over three years to expand the services of several provincial outreach programs and teams and support literacy focused professional development and training for teachers and support staff. The new professional development and training will help K to 12 teachers and support staff build the knowledge, tools, and evidence-based strategies needed to support the diverse literacy needs of all students, including those beyond grade 3. This includes workshops and resources for supporting students with learning disabilities.
So BC is a good example of a jurisdiction which is taking responsibility for and addressing literacy in schools. I think the NWT government needs to follow suit and take responsibility for its role in ensuring literacy screening and support is provided. I'll have further questions for the Minister later today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
