[13][14] Kirby was sworn at Government House as Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development by Lieutenant Governor Frank Fagan on December 14, 2015.
[15][16] Kirby was Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development for Newfoundland and Labrador from 2015 to 2018 during which time he oversaw the implementation of full-day Kindergarten across the province.
He also oversaw the work of the Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes which carried out a comprehensive review of the Newfoundland and Labrador public school system.
[18][19] On August 27, 2018, CBC released a copy of a report by the Commissioner for Legislative Standards that cleared him and Eddie Joyce of wrongdoing in all the allegations made by fellow Liberal MHA Colin Holloway.
Kirby was cleared on all complaints, except ”seeking a personal benefit” in a comment to Parsons about a school petition at the 2016 Liberal Party AGM; the report recommended a sanction by the House of Assembly on that count.