Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Minister’s ministerial statement today he talked about the impressive number of graduates. I want to ask the Minister, in terms of the graduates in the communities that I represent or even the Northwest Territories, I want to talk about the quality of the diplomas that these students are going to be receiving.
In a report, I understand that there are 30 percent of students operating below the expected grade level. What is the Minister doing to bring that number down and to give our students good, quality education in the Northwest Territories?
The honourable Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about graduates, over the years there has been a substantial improvement in our graduates, whether it be aboriginal or non-aboriginal students, for the Northwest Territories. It’s been increasing every year. The Member is asking if those graduates are true graduates and the status of the diploma. These graduates do write the departmental exams through the Alberta education system. We use their curriculum as well. There are certain standards that have to be met, criteria that has to be met and based on that, if they pass the final examination, then they can walk the stage as true graduates.
Mr. Speaker, we have heard concerns from the communities. We are working on a strategic plan on aboriginal student success area, student achievement success initiative that will deal with enrolment, deal with the status of the education curriculum that we deliver and the standards. Mr. Speaker, we continue to improve in those areas. Those are the strategic initiatives that we will continue to make improvements in those areas. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, the Minister has indicated that these certain points within the education system are measured against a certain function level. The assessments of the Alberta achievement tests that we take indicate that 30 percent of students are operating below expected levels of education. certainly that raises alarms, it raises a lot of concerns for people in my region. I want to ask the Minister in terms of his initiative, the Sahtu did indicate that they would like a symposium to really talk about education and the seriousness, as I mentioned in my Member’s statement, in terms of the livelihood of our nation of people and anybody to make a contribution to that, but also to know that they are getting a good quality education that would get them into a career of their choosing. I want to ask the Minister in terms of what he talked about, some educational forms in terms of what he is expecting in terms of accomplishing by having these forms that he is proposing to the House.
Mr. Speaker, our goal and mandate is to provide the true quality education here in the Northwest Territories along with the partnership with the various southern institutions so they do accredit our programs as well. We deliver high school programs, not only that but post-secondary as well. We have been successful in that degree.
I did a Member’s statement, 102 graduates out of the post-secondary. We are pushing the students through the venue through post-secondary level and through the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative. That is an area that will be the prime focus on the education quality, the enrolment, how the students are progressing through our education system and working with the parents, working with the school boards and across the Northwest Territories. We have representatives on there that deals and also provides input. We made some recommendations already and we will be receiving our report I believe at the end of June. We are going to the communities in the regions starting in September, fall time. We are going to be visiting all regions and highlighting what we have found and inputs from the region. I would like to get their inputs, as well, at the same time.
Mr. Speaker, we are moving forward on this. This fall will be a busy schedule for us, along with the MLAs. Mahsi.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to the Minister’s initiative in terms of improving the true quality of education in the Northwest Territories, because the last several years of my experience, we have not been receiving that in my region. I do have people leaving this institution in Grade 12 that cannot get into a post-secondary education or a university even, let alone a job, Mr. Speaker. I would ask the Minister in terms of this mandate here, if he is willing to work truly with the leadership in the Sahtu communities to look at major changes into the Education Act, the system that can deliver true quality education in our communities, which may require additional dollars that we can get to have a proper standard of education, teachers, classrooms in the Sahtu.
Mr. Speaker, that is what we are doing this fall. We are consulting with various aboriginal groups, leaders, the school board members, the MLAs of the particular ridings, highlighting what we have found, what we have heard from the communities, what we have heard from the committee members, what we have heard from their representatives.
Mr. Speaker, those will be laid out in the communities and I think to honour that, it will certainly be a greater improvement into our programming. Basically what I am looking at is building on our strength. We do have an education system that is very successful to date. Yes, there is always room for improvement; I am willing to accept that. I think this package will give us direction as well. It is coming from the people of the North so, Mr. Speaker, I am looking forward to that. Mahsi.
Final supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The question I have for the Minister, in terms of one small initiative that the Minister and I have talked about, is including the elders into our educational system. It has been three years since I have been bringing this up here, and yet we have not seen the light of day in terms of having the educational system open up our doors to the elders. We have been offering them solutions on this side. When is the Minister going to say as a step in the right direction for providing quality education in the classroom, on the land, that the elders would be included into our education system? There will be room for them. There will be elders in our educational system.
Mr. Speaker, I do agree that elders are valuable and the importance of their presence in the schools I fully support. Along with this strategic initiative, that will be part of the discussion as we move forward. We need to get around a system of how we pay them. That has been a very controversial issue lately because of their pension claw-back from the federal government. We certainly don’t want to have any impact on their pension, so we are trying to work around a system how it is feasible to do. We are currently discussing that. I did have feedback from the Sahtu MLA on how we can manoeuvre around the system, around the challenges. Mr. Speaker, those are the areas that we continue to focus on. This fall we will deliver key messaging. We want to expedite the process to having the elders in the school. That is one of the commitments that I am making. Mahsi.
The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
