Hon. Titus Allooloo's return to Question W7-12(2), asked by Mr. Todd on February 20, 1992: The Department of Education has provided me with a number of tables on students enrolled in, and graduating from, post-secondary programs. These tables have been sent, as requested, to the Member for Keewatin Central.
The tables include numbers of post-secondary students enrolled over the past eight years. Information on total enrolment for 1983, and for 1984, is available, as well as enrolment in technical and degree programs. However, enrolment figures for southern and northern institutions are not. That information was not collected then.
Information on numbers of graduates from post-secondary programs is only available now for 1988-89. The department first attempted to collect graduate information for 1986 to 1988 through a survey conducted by mail. The return rate was so low no meaningful numbers were provided. In 1988-89 graduates were surveyed by telephone. As this has proven to be a successful method of collecting student graduation numbers, a telephone survey to determine graduation rates for 1990, 1991 and 1992 will be conducted this summer.
The information provided in the tables on student enrolment and graduation was collected through the student financial assistance program. While some NWT residents may be pursuing post-secondary studies full time at their own expense, the Department of Education has no ongoing method of gathering the numbers of those students. However, the department expects that the number of individuals enrolled in post-secondary programs who are not receiving student financial assistance is very low. The information provided through the student financial assistance program identifies almost all of the students enrolled in, and graduating from, full-time post-secondary studies.