Norman Yakeleya

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I know our students can do it. Last year at the Colville Lake high school, there were three graduates and they did it through the new technology. I’m looking at these small communities and I’m asking that this Grade 13 concept be seen in the minds of the people in the Northwest Territories and see if it has some value in offering this type of program.

Would the Minister be able to report back to the Assembly on this concept by the end of this year and say, yes, it has value? Would he be able to do that?

I wanted to say Grade 13. I said Grade 12, but I wanted to say Grade 13. That will give the students the added time of one year to catch up so they can either go right to work or go to a college or post-secondary education. Give them that transition for them to do a Grade 13. Add that as a course for these students who are graduating from Grade 12 and we know that the diploma doesn’t quite get them into a post-secondary or college or a university program.

Can the Minister look at a short-term solution to have that offered in our small communities as a Grade 13 education schooling in our small...

As we hear more from the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment about this summer’s concentration on education reform, I hope we hear bold and creative solutions aimed to drastically improve the education in the Northwest Territories. As we consider this, I challenge all Members of this House to think outside the box and to legislate seriously to turn this situation around and get education moving in the right direction. It’s what you do with education that counts, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, due to the increase of activity now in the Sahtu, when you have a record-breaking number of parcels being taken up by the major oil companies of the world and spending over $600 million, close to $700 million, you know there is something happening very big. Even if the Fraser Institute report comes out saying that it’s not very good to have investments in the Sahtu, and the next day you have a company come and say we’re going to spend over $700 million in the development of the Sahtu oil and gas exploration, you know that when Husky Energy puts in a $45 million road out in nowhere...

WHEREAS the Sahtu region has an employment rate of 55 percent;

AND WHEREAS approximately 9 percent of the population of the Northwest Territories has less than a Grade 9 education and 20 percent of the population has not obtained education beyond high school;

AND WHEREAS the Government of the Northwest Territories strongly supports a resident workforce in existing and future development;

AND WHEREAS there is a potential for major industrial development in the Sahtu that would result in a great demand for skilled workers;

AND WHEREAS there is an increasing demand for renewable energy development in...

Mr. Speaker, I’m looking at what can we do for our students who are graduating with a Grade 12 diploma. Sometimes a diploma is not as strong as we want it to be. I’m looking at ways we can build self-esteem and self-confidence for these Grade 12 graduates. Having a Grade 13 in our high schools would give them that confidence, so when they apply for college in Fort Smith or any other college in the Northwest Territories or a post-university institution down south, it would make them feel that, yes, I do have an incredible diploma. If we have a Grade 13 program in our schools, that would fit...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister’s new renewal of the education system in the Northwest Territories is refreshing. It talks about some of the things that we need to do, and as I read the report the facts stare right in my face and the problem is really huge, and the government is responding to these problems. I want to ask the Minister, with his discussion with Mr. Menicoche, in the short-term, has the Minister and his department considered offering Grade 12 in our high schools, because the quality of our diplomas are not as high as we think they are.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our education system may be performing poorly, according to the recent reports. We are the ones who can do something with our education system. Clearly, education in the Northwest Territories is not up to par and we need to get it back on track. There is a big problem that requires bold solutions and decisive actions.

It is our children’s future that is at stake, and the stakes couldn’t be any higher. If we want our children to succeed, then we need to create a learning environment for them that encourages success. The standard wisdom holds that graduation rates are...

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 44 and proceed with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.

---Unanimous consent granted

Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to waive Rule 44 and proceed with the motion I gave notice of earlier today.