Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a return to an oral question asked by Mr. Gargan on December 16, 1991, regarding the hiring of qualified teachers. All teachers hired for the Northwest Territories must be eligible for a Northwest Territories teaching certificate. The minimum required is the successful completion of two years of teacher training delivered in the Northwest Territories through Arctic College.
All advertisements for teaching positions must meet Department of Personnel standards as well as specific divisional board requirements. It is common practice for boards to require training in specific language methodology known as whole language. This requirement is often referred to as a requirement for a holistic teacher. A recent advertisement for a teacher for the Elizabeth Ward School in Fort Providence required "a holistic teacher able to teach in all subject areas." The advertisement also stated that the applicant was expected to be part of the school team and had to be eligible for a Northwest Territories teaching certificate.