Nova Scotia

Central Structure: Department of Education

The Minister of Education in Nova Scotia is a member of the provincial cabinet and is appointed by the government. The Minister is assisted and advised by a Deputy Minister, a Senior Advisor with the Labour Market and Development Secretariat and representatives from the Nova Scotia Council on Higher Education. A Communication Advisor and Internal Auditor work under the Deputy Minister. The Minister of Education is responsible for public schools, community colleges, adult education programming, universities, apprenticeship programs, libraries and immigration.

The Minister and Deputy Minister implement this mandate through the Nova Scotia Department of Education. The Department consists of eight branches, each with an Executive Director responsible for branch- associated tasks.

• Acadian and French Language Services Branch: provides leadership and direction to school boards in French First Language and French Second Language program development, delivery and evaluation, and administers funds from the Canadian Heritage Agreement.
• Facilities, Planning and Operations Branch: manages school buildings, transportation and services, textbooks and materials and the private-public-partnerships for new school construction.