Education Minister Scott Kent was in Iqaluit last week for a conference with education ministers from across the country.
The conference looked at a number of issues specific to education in the North, Kent said, including improving educational outcomes for students, early childhood development, post-secondary education and the inclusion of residential school history and effects in school curricula.
“I think the most important thing to come out of this meeting is that all other jurisdictions across the country are embarking on initiatives with regard to the inclusion of the residential school legacy in curriculum,” Kent said.
The N.W.T. and Nunavut have already gotten a head start on the rest of Canada. They’re both one year into the new curriculum, but the Yukon isn’t far behind. Yukon’s Education Department is starting a residential school curriculum pilot project at Robert Service School in Dawson City this fall.
“We’re happy to be one of the leaders in this area, but we’re very pleased that other jurisdictions are starting to see the importance of it as something Canadians need to learn about,” Kent said.
The Yukon will host its own summit on early childhood education in October, bringing together experts in the field to look at territory-specific solutions, Kent said.