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 increasing because we are offering high school in smaller communities, but if our children are graduating and their performance is poor, what are we really achieving? If they get their diploma but can’t get a job or enter into college or university right after, what sort of success is that?
I have given this problem a great deal of thought. I have spoken to my constituents in the Sahtu, who, like all parents, simply want their children to have the very best opportunities that life can offer. I believe we need to challenge the conventional wisdom and reconsider the possibility of a regional high school in the Sahtu. If we look at some of today’s brightest northern leaders from the Sahtu, people like Stephen Kakfwi, Paul Andrew, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, George Cleary, Danny Gaudet, Sarah Baker, or Dora Duncan, and there are many others, one of the things they have in common is their acquired education. Today’s leaders are educated together in a learning environment where they can challenge one another to think, to be motivated, to inspire and to grow.
Obviously, I’m not suggesting in any way a return to the old residential school system, but I’m saying that with devolution, decentralization and resource development, companies are looking for educated professionals in the regions and we need to do everything we can to prepare our children to answer that call.
This includes encouraging them to attend a regional high school where we can focus our education dollars on a centre of excellence, with a focus on math and science with many other programs aimed at getting our children ready for post-secondary learning or in a trades institution.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my Member’s statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
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.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Member for Frame Lake, Ms. Bisaro.
