Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. [English translation not provided.]
Mr. Speaker, in recognition of Education Week, today I would like to talk about a recent trip I made with the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment into my riding. On this trip we learned that the South Slave Divisional Educational Council is making efforts to increase the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations for reading proficiency in all its schools, including Fort Resolution and Lutselk'e. This initiative was implemented in 2007, and in only a few years the student achievement in reading has shown significant improvement. A key component of this is regular, accurate assessments of each student’s abilities, skills, strengths and challenges so that learning can be tailored to the students’ needs.
Mr. Speaker, sometimes students don’t get the necessary support at home with respect to schooling. This initiative, Leadership for Literacy, helps address that. At any given time during the school year, teachers know what level each student is reading at and can share this information with students and parents.
On this tour of the South Slave with the Minister I had a firsthand opportunity to meet with teachers and hear how the program is progressing. The teachers and other support staff are making a real effort to increase reading levels of all the students in the region.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the Minister, the teachers, the department and the dedicated, hardworking staff of the South Slave Divisional Education Council for working hard on this initiative.
I have stood up in this House many times and talked about how we need more programs for youth. I often talked about the need for more youth programming in the communities, and this is one such youth program that is having an immediate positive impact on the youth in the community.
Mr. Speaker, I hope to see this program continue. It is too important to stop after only a few years. I’m not sure if the money has been set aside for the longer term or for a specific completion date. Later today, I will ask questions of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment on future plans for this program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. The honourable Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
