The evolution of professionalism - Centre for Policy Studies in ...

The Territories
The Yukon Territory
Ethnic and language diversity and the size and distribution of population are key
factors in considering the educational policy environment in the Yukon Territory.
The Department of Education is responsible for the overall school operation in
the Yukon, where 23 percent of students are of First Nations ancestry (2003), and
French-speaking residents account for 11 percent of the total population.
The Yukon Territory is governed by a Parliament consisting 18 seats. Whitehorse,
the capital city, is home to approximately 70 percent of the territory’s population
and 78 percent of its student population (Yukon Department of Education, 2003).
The Yukon Territory has 28 publicly funded schools, half of which are located in
Whitehorse. More than 5,500 families are served by the system; home schooling
is also available.
The Department of Education works in consultation with First Nations to
improve learning outcomes for First Nations students and to develop First Nations
curriculum units. Curriculum consultants provide support to Aboriginal Language
teachers and provide linkages to 14 Yukon First Nations. Linkages are made to
teacher education, and the Yukon Native Language Centre provides training and
certifi cation for Aboriginal teachers.
Together, the Yukon Act and the Education Act (1990) are the guiding framework
and authority for education. The Education Act provides for the establishment of
school councils, school boards, and makes provisions for special education. It
mandates an emphasis on First Nations’ culture, and has jurisdiction over Catholic
Education.
The Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is home to Canada’s second largest concentration
of Aboriginal citizens, accounting for nearly half of its population. In addition to
its Aboriginal citizens and those of British ancestry, the Northwest Territories is
also home to a multitude of other cultures and language groups. Approximately 25
percent of the population (9,700 people) identify themselves (and in fairly equal
numbers) as French, German, or Métis. In 2000, the Northwest Territories pre-school
population aged six and under was about 5,240, or 13 percent of the population.
Approximately 16,000 Kindergarten to Grade 12 students (about 39 percent of the
population) were enrolled in 51 public and public denominational schools, three
private schools, and two francophone schools. The schools are operated and run by
eight boards of education.
The government of the Northwest Territories gained control of its educational
system a little over 25 years ago, and there have been signifi cant developments
since then. The schooling vision for Northwest Territory students was fi rst
articulated in the policy document Education in the Northwest Territories (1986)
and refi ned in Our Students, Our Future: An Educational Framework (1991). The
foundation of this document is that all students are unique and that the challenge
of education is to provide environments where all children may learn effectively.
204 Section 4: The Atlantic Region