Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 1921, Chief Julian Yendo, a great chief of the Teetl’it Gwich'in, signed Treaty 11 in hopes of securing a bright future for his people of Teetl’it Zheh. Chief Yendo had a great admiration for his people, especially the children. When he signed Treaty 11, one of the clauses that he wanted entrenched in to the document was for the government to build a school within his community and to ensure that the children of the community received the best education that is available to them for many years to come. Today, the vision of this great Chief and the treaties are not being obligated to meet the needs of the students of the community.
Mr. Speaker, we have junior high school students who are incapable of reading or writing at the grade level they are in. The students do not want to learn because they know they will be promoted no matter if they attend only 50 percent of their class time. I believe this trend is happening throughout the Northwest Territories within our smaller communities. I personally know a few parents who are sending their children to different jurisdictions just to get a higher quality of education and a brighter future. This should not be an option. We should be giving our children the best education that they deserve and to look forward to a prosperous future within their communities.
Mr. Speaker, there are a small percentage of students who have the ability to pursue a post-secondary education but, again, they are placed in the same age group as their peers, and they are distracted because the majority of the students do not meet the requirements of their grade. Maybe we should be targeting these select few and giving them the opportunity to pursue a higher level of education and a successful future. These gifted students should be separated and given an instructor who is passionate about seeing positive results. They should at least be given the chance at life.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say that I sympathize with the students of our smaller communities because their immediate future does not look too bright. I also feel for the teachers who have taken on the task of trying to secure -- Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, colleagues. I also feel for the teachers who have taken on the task of trying to secure a future for these students but the damage is done, and now they have to work with students who do not want to learn because the education is literally failing them in life. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of education at the appropriate time.
Thank you, Member from Mackenzie Delta. Members' statements. Member from Monfwi.
