Norman Yakeleya

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...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I stated in the motion, the Sahtu employment rate is at 55 percent, and also that 9 percent of the population in the Northwest Territories has a less than Grade 9 education, and 20 percent of the population has not yet obtained an education beyond high school.

When I did my numbers here in the Sahtu, there are 675 youth between the ages of 10 and 24 years of age. That’s a high population. That’s 30 percent of the entire Sahtu population, which is about 2,680 people, according to our stats here.

With all the oil and gas development, there is great potential for major...

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.

WHEREAS Tabled Document 4-17(5), Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission 2013 Final Report, has been tabled in this House;

NOW THEREFORE I MOVE, seconded by the honourable Member for Inuvik Boot Lake, that Tabled Document 4-17(5), Northwest Territories Electoral Boundaries Commission 2013 Final Report, be referred to Committee of the Whole for consideration today.

I give notice that on Thursday, November 7, 2013, I will move the following motion: I move, seconded by the honourable Member for Thebacha, that, notwithstanding Rule 4, when this House adjourns on November 7, 2013, it shall be adjourned until Wednesday, February 5, 2014;

And further, that any time prior to February 5, 2014, if the Speaker is satisfied, after consultation with the Executive Council and Members of the Legislative Assembly, that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier time during the adjournment, the Speaker may give notice and thereupon the House...