Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to ask a question before we go into detail. From my statements, Mr. Chairman, I would like to know where grade 11 extension students in Coral Harbour will be placed.

There has been no indication yet as to where the students will be located, other than the fact that the high school will hopefully be renovated to accommodate those students. It is a matter that still needs to be dealt with with the board of education from the Keewatin, because it is really the one that is the driving force behind the request for the extension of grades in the communities. We are open and prepared to work with them to address this matter, but we are not clear yet as to how we are going to address it.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think you are already aware, from the divisional boards' reports, that Arctic College gave up one of the two remaining classrooms to house the kindergarten to grade ten students without grade 11 extension. We are fairly active in the educational programs in Coral Harbour and we are also conducting a full-time adult basic education sponsor program. I feel, when the classrooms are no longer available for adult students, after 4:00 p.m. is not an option as adults have the right to have access to normal course of instruction as do the kindergarten to grade 11 students. I think we will need to know, from the department, how this arrangement will be made because the adult education section is also very active. I would like to have an answer some time before this session is over.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question is, is there a tender process for these renovations or new construction so that it can be open by the next school season in September?

Mr. Minister.

I can indicate where there are renovations that are proposed for this particular school year, the tenders will be issued. For any new construction which is proposed for 1994-95, the only work that is being done this year will be the planning with the regional board of education to identify and ensure that we meet the needs of the students in Coral Harbour.

I have four more questions. Nunavut must prepare our students to take jobs in high tech industries. Students in small communities are at a disadvantage, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, by not having proper science labs. Why do small schools like ours not have properly equipped science labs?

Thank you, Mr. Arvaluk. Mr. Minister.

Thank you. I am not sure why they do not have properly equipped science labs. It is my assumption that because we have a core curriculum that says we have to deliver particular programs, the schools and the boards are supposed to have that type of equipment available to the students. If the honourable Member can provide me with some details, I am prepared to address the concern with the school board so we can find a solution to that problem.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask a few questions regarding the planning money in the main estimates. We have been forced in Chesterfield Inlet to turn our library, home economics and arts classrooms into regular classrooms to accommodate our student population. We are overcrowded at 94 students and our projected enrolment for next year is 105 students. What is going to be done about rectifying the overcrowding of our essentially new school? It is four years old as I stated in my opening remarks.

Thank you. Mr. Chairman, it is very difficult to say what will be done because the regional board of education is crucial in responding to the needs of students in their particular region. They have to be a part of the planning process and involved in finding a solution. I will be meeting with the Keewatin board of education at their next board meeting. We will raise the concerns that the honourable Member has and find ways of helping the board or propose solutions that will accommodate the Member. I think he has some very legitimate concerns.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In conclusion, I will be pursuing some of these questions through correspondence to the Minister in the area of capital and O and M planning. There are so many other questions I think should be dealt with and things that are enjoyed by other larger centres. They are taken for granted by them, but they are very valuable to us in the small communities. With that, I will be pursuing this with correspondence. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to comment on home boarding, student residences and grade extensions. During my travels in my constituency, I was approached many times by parents of students who will be going away to a larger centre, in this case to Fort Simpson, to pursue higher education. There is much concern raised by the parents because they are sending their grade ten into the unknown. It is very disturbing for many parents. There is cause for many questions. At the present time, the situation in Fort Simpson is that students coming in from other communities are home boarded, no matter what grade they are in, but mainly grade nine and ten. The concern by the parents is there is no coordinated effort to deal with the parents of the students who are going into home boarding.

I have thought about it and I have four children of my own, fortunately, the school goes to grade 12 in Fort Simpson now, so I do not have to worry about it. If we all put ourselves in the place of a parent in Fort Liard, whose daughter is going to be in grade ten next year, it causes great concern. This is the type of problem that has been brought to my attention. Home boarding and grade extension in the smaller communities helps, especially in Fort Simpson, but for the outlying communities with building new schools and better classrooms, there are more students going through the system. There is a balloon of kids going through the system. In about two or three years time, you are going to have a large population leaving the smaller communities, not only in my constituency, but all over the north.

I am sure that this department has thought about it, I hope, and there should be a plan in place to try and deal with this situation. At the present time, I do not see any plan to deal with it. The problem we have should be a part of a long-term plan. The parents are very concerned. They are wondering where they are sending their children to next year and there is no information out there telling them exactly how their children are going to be handled in terms of discipline, a place to stay, what kind of families are they going to live with, and so forth. I know there are parents whose children are sent to home boarding and they have never met the family their children are staying with. If you have a child and you have a certain way of disciplining them in your own home, if you send him to home boarding in grade ten and 11, what kind of discipline is used in these homes? There are many cases, at present, where the child is placed in home boarding and the home boarding parents have never met the child's parents. Where is the connection to deal with ongoing home atmosphere and so forth? This causes me great concern. I think perhaps one way of dealing with this situation might be to look at this particular issue. We have done it for a number of years in Fort Simpson and perhaps in other communities. Why do you not get together and try to look at the problems which arise from this? We should get the parents together to see if we can deal with this situation. I see a major problem down the line with these kids and the anxiety and fear of the unknown of the parents which exists today. It is a policy issue that I am concerned about. It deals with the long-term planning as well as the need for short-term action at the present time. I need to see something done right away to deal with the situation for next fall. Not only in my particular constituency, but all over the north. If the Minister would like to respond to this, I would appreciate it. Mahsi.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. There are two elements which are important in how we deal with this particular matter. For the Fort Simpson and Deh Cho region, one of the reasons we established a coordinator for home boarding was to address some of the concerns which the honourable Member has raised, specifically for the communities where we are delivering high school or school programs. I will obviously raise the concerns which the honourable Member has raised and find a way of ensuring that we can address this matter for the 1993-94 school year, so that at least we have a plan in place in that particular region.

From a long-term planning perspective, which the honourable Member has raised, our secondary schooling plans hopefully will accommodate some of the issues related to home boarding, or boarding matters which affect each particular region. I believe part of the plan will include methods by which we can address some of the concerns the honourable Member has raised. In each region through the divisional boards, there should be a coordinated plan of attack and problem solving rather than just trying to address crisis situations, so that the regions understand and at least know where and how we are going to deal with these kinds of issues.