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About the Department

• Minister
• Organizational Chart
• Mandate
• Seven Lines of Business
• Branches and Divisions
• Agencies
• Legislation

The Department of Education was established under the Executive Council Act and is responsible for the education of all citizens from pre-school to Grade 12. The programs and services offered are provided through two branches:

Primary, Elementary & Secondary Branch

This branch includes responsibility for school services; program development; student support services; evaluation and research; distance learning and innovation; and early childhood learning.

Corporate Services Branch

This branch includes responsibility for strategic planning and annual reporting; budget preparation and monitoring; financial services; school busing; international education; policy development and accountability; school construction; teacher payroll services; and federal-provincial agreements.

Mandate

The Minister of Education is responsible for all aspects of K-12 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The mandate for the Minister of Education is primarily established under:

• The Departmental Notice under the Executive Council Act;
• Sections 92.(1) and 117 of the Schools Act, 1997;
• Sections 6 and 7 of the Teacher Training Act;

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Seven Lines of Business

1. Curriculum and Programs
   In the K-12 system, responsibilities include developing and monitoring the curriculum, creating or selecting learning resources, developing and implementing distance learning activities, developing programs for improved teaching and learning, and providing teacher professional development in new curriculum areas. In addition, support services to children with special needs are provided by administering student support programs and the allocation of a full range of personnel to school districts. The department also develops and provides support for school development, Aboriginal programming, and fosters improved pre-school learning opportunities through cooperation with other departments.
2. Educational Policy and Direction
   In the K-12 system, the department sets the strategy and vision. Decision-making is informed through the development of briefing and other support materials, and the provision of statistical indicators and background information.
3. Student Assessment and Certification
   Responsibilities include the evaluation, monitoring, test development and certification processes for the K-12 system.
4. Research, Records and Reporting/Accountability
   Responsibilities include all major functions related to education system performance such as education statistics, planning, evaluation, accountability, policy development and research. The department collects data and manages databases for core areas such as enrolment and graduate outcomes.
5. Support to Federal, Provincial and Territorial Agreements & Initiatives
   The department coordinates the activities of a number of federal-provincial agreements for which it is a key stakeholder such as Official Languages in Education, the Community Access Program, and agreements pertaining to Aboriginal schools. The department also provides support to several federal-provincial-territorial committees.
6. Finance, Administration and Corporate Services
   Responsibilities include preparation and monitoring of the annual budget, legislation and regulation, school construction, funding public libraries, teacher certification, teacher payroll, international education, and financing the K-12 system.
7. Horizontal Commitments
   The department is responsible for contributing to a number of government-wide initiatives such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Violence Prevention Initiative, the Infrastructure Strategy, the Red Tape Reduction Initiative, and the Northern Strategic Plan.

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