Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I would like to commend the Minister for proceeding with the education strategy, as he mentioned on page one of his opening remarks. I feel this is very much needed, especially for a high standard of education and successful completion of secondary schools in the communities. That is very urgently needed, especially in the small communities because, as I stated before, it is no longer acceptable for federal day school policy. A federal government employee stated to his colleagues, and I overheard it, "If some Eskimos are given grade nine education and some training, they could make good office clerks and
rolls abouts." I think this is outdated and I welcome very much the Minister having higher hopes and goals with his opening remarks.
Also, I welcome, on page four of his opening remarks, again this year, "We are proposing further extension of high school grades in communities where there is a need and support of the community and the boards." However, as I stated in my Member's statement this morning, there is still a need for a coordination between the main estimates capital plans and other departments responsible for establishing such facilities.
I could use a few examples, Mr. Chairman, of the lack of coordination, not necessarily just because of the Department of Education, rather the government as a whole, that the Department of Education is responsible for in those programs. Although I want to be stating this in general comments, Mr. Chairman, I think examples will not hurt.
In Coral Harbour, we are introducing grade 11 extension this year. We are also expecting a fair number of kindergarten children entering in the fall season. As I stated a year and a half ago, we were utilizing gymnasium spectator areas for Inuktitut language programs and we have taken up 60 per cent of the Arctic College classrooms for regular grade students, whereas Arctic College pays 100 per cent for those facilities. A lack of coordination also was stated in yesterday's question period about staff housing for teachers, which we will also need for grade extension this year and for kindergarten children. We are talking about two more just in one community. We are already utilizing one staff house for two teachers who are not related. They do not even come from the same place.
We have been unfair to single people. We have been trying to hire married teachers only so we can accommodate them in the houses. We do not have any units for single people. I do not know how that would work well with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Mr. Chairman, I have no hesitation in commending the Minister for very good opening remarks, but I must emphasize that there has to be coordination between the Department of Education, divisional boards, Public Works and the Department of Personnel, in making the opening remarks workable. It is not a good idea to state them in the House and to the people of the Northwest Territories when we will not be able to make them come true as goals and objectives. I also note, in the main estimates, the departmental goals, these are very well worth looking at and pursuing. I certainly will be pursuing, in my term in this office, to have them realized at the community level. It is too important to ignore that once these are stated in the House, they are not realized at the community level. I will not speak too long, Mr. Chairman.
When we make capital projects, the government does not allow the department to properly plan, which is in the main estimates. For example, Chesterfield Inlet, a four year old school is overcrowded and there is no library or gymnasium. The industrial and home economic sections are used for regular classrooms because there is no space in the school. This seems to be discrimination against small communities. They do not get the same consideration for those essential facilities, such as phys-ed, science labs and libraries, as other schools in larger communities. With those remarks, Mr. Chairman, I would like to move to my general comments on the Arctic College.
It seems to be a disease throughout the Northwest Territories that Arctic College is given a second consideration as a priority for education for young people, especially young adults. Every time there is a lack of space in the schools, that Arctic College also occupies in the adult education sections, Arctic College is removed from the school so regular classes can be utilized there. An example is Coral Harbour. It is important that the government as a whole realize, in order to achieve the goals and objectives in creating Nunavut and Denendeh governments, education must be a top priority, not as an expenditure, but as reaching out to the communities. It could be 20 per cent of the total budget of the government. Perhaps, we should look at it this way. That 20 per cent may be too small. Perhaps, it should be 40 per cent. Just because it is large does not mean it is large enough. The success of society depends on good education in both aboriginal languages and culture in the academic world. I will be asking questions later. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
