Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it has been 11 years since the Special Committee on Education produced its report, Learning Tradition and Change in the Northwest Territories, and seven years since the report of the Task Force on Aboriginal Languages. Since then, there have been fundamental changes in the economy and in political and constitutional development, as well as in education, culture and employment in the Northwest Territories.
The shape of government itself is also changing. The current Legislative Assembly has emphasized the importance of planning, the delivery of quality programs and the importance of reporting and measuring program results.
The establishment of the Department of Education, Culture and Employment in August 1992, has provided opportunity to use program resources more efficiently and effectively by creating stronger links between cultural programs, child day care, education, training and employment development. This consolidation, coupled with the current climate of change throughout the NWT, provides my department with an excellent opportunity to consult with northerners to ensure that our programs and services will meet the needs of the future. As a result, the department is developing a strategic plan to guide the direction and delivery of education, culture and employment programs to the year 2010.
During the spring and summer, information was collected from our many partners, from the general public and from department staff. From this information, we have established some general directions in the document called, Towards a Strategy to 2010, which the department is proposing to use for more extensive consultation.
The document identifies a number of principles upon which the future direction of education, culture and employment programs can be based.
These include the principle that decisions be made as close to the community as possible. If programs and services are to meet community needs, people in the community should have more say in directing the design and delivery of services.
The document is also based on the principle that culture is fundamental to individuals, to communities and to institutions. Culture should be the foundation of all our programs and services the Department of Education, Culture and Employment offers.
Another principle addresses the need for a solid base of knowledge, skills and attitudes on which people can build and develop skills for life. Learning should be a process that begins in early childhood and continues through elementary and secondary schooling, and throughout adulthood.
Strong reading, writing and math skills are essential today and will continue to be important for the future success of our students. These skills are necessary for developing an educational foundation for the future. In addition, employers are looking for new and improved skills in technology, communication and problem solving.
Part of a teacher's role today is to help students develop these basic skills and to support students so they can learn how to learn, in order to meet the continuing challenges of a rapidly changing world. The role of students is to approach their education responsibly. The support of their parents and communities is essential for their success.
Mr. Speaker, we are living in a globalized society in which information is essential for growth and development. In order for the people of the Northwest Territories to take their place in such a society, they must have access to information. Rapid advancements in technology are opening new avenues to sharing information. Our existing networks for distance education, school and public libraries, television, radio and telephone, should be linked to form the base for a comprehensive information network for people of the Northwest Territories, making information sharing a reality in the north.
The strategy has three critical elements, strengthening and developing partnerships, improving our programs and services, and using our resources more effectively and efficiently.
Mr. Speaker, as I travel around the Northwest Territories, I have recently become aware that there is a sense of change among northerners and a renewed sense of optimism. For many years, northerners have looked forward to land claims and the division of the territories and these things are now becoming realities. We are at a key point in the development of the Northwest Territories and my department wants to ensure that our programs and services are able to meet the changing needs of northerners. The directions for the future proposed in the consultation document need to be debated by all stakeholders in education, culture and employment and the public in general. The comments and directions we receive will shape the development of a final strategy to be completed in the spring of 1994. This strategy, in turn, will guide our programs into the next century. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.