Meet the new head of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council

Laura Ganyo says quality education starts with trust and strong relationships, something she hopes to establish as the new superintendent of the Dehcho Divisional Education Council.

Ganyo, who moved to Fort Simpson in late August ahead of the academic year, will oversee schools across the region.

“I wanted to be in a place where community, culture, and learning [is] really important and I think that’s what I see in [the] Dehcho,” said Ganyo.

“I want to be part of it.”

Ganyo previously served as the district principal of instruction and curriculum in a public Indigenous school division in British Columbia.

“My journey in education has been rooted in supporting communities and also advocating for inclusive education, and that was one of the reasons that I wanted to work for [the] Dehcho,” said Ganyo.

Ganyo is the first person to step into the position on a permanent basis since the territory’s education minister, Caitlin Cleveland, launched an independent investigation into the DDEC and its district education authorities.

While some initial findings from the investigation were released in October, the full investigation report will not be released because of privacy concerns, the GNWT has said.

However, a spokesperson for the department previously said the investigation “did not find evidence of systemic, widespread dysfunction across all nine education bodies in the Dehcho.”

“Instead, the most serious issues were localized in Fort Simpson and originated from the breakdown in the relationship between the Fort Simpson DEA (FSDEA) and the administration.”

Members of the FSDEA previously told Cabin Radio a delay in receiving its funding last year left them feeling powerless in their roles, and that communication with the DDEC and territorial government felt strained.

Now, the role of managing that relationship falls – at least in part – to Ganyo.

She said the existing governance guide for the DEAs and DDEC will help direct that relationship.

“One of the things will be to work with the DEAs in a transparent relationship to really follow that governance guidance that will help everyone to collaborate easily,” said Ganyo.

“I think it’s really important for the success of our students that we need to keep in mind we have a common objective and goal – the success of our students.

“With that, we will be able to work together, and I’m open to build that bridge, so we make everything easier.”

Making children feel safe

Aside from managing that relationship, Ganyo said she’s interested in exploring new ways of integrating Dene culture and language into Dehcho schools, though she noted possible hurdles related to limited funding and human resources available.

Ganyo is stepping into an education landscape in the Northwest Territories where overall attendance rate for the 2024-25 school year was 73.1 percent, according to a report published by the GNWT in July.

In the last academic year, 56 percent of students enrolled in Grade 10 were re-enrolments.

“In other words, over half of the students in Grade 10 in the 2024-25 school year were previously enrolled in Grade 10 in either the 2022-23 or 2023-24 school years,” the report stated.

Ganyo said attendance and success in school are built on how students feel integrated, heard and valued.

“We need to focus on how to make our children feel really safe in our schools and interested in the programs we are offering them, because that’s where we can make them really motivated,” said Ganyo.

To do this, Ganyo said, will require collaboration between staff like teachers and counsellors who support students.

She said her journey to Fort Simpson by road allowed her to discover the region, which she described as “beautiful.”

“It was my first time to really encounter the fire on the trees, and it was mind blowing and to see that, that made me think of how we need to care for nature,” said Ganyo.

She said it’s also important to pass on that responsibility to children in school.