Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, no. In the past, the residential school system offered in the Territories was a dismal failure. You only need to look back four or five years at the graduation rate of people from the small communities to see, compared to the numbers who were starting off in school, almost none of them were graduating. They are not going to get to go to southern colleges or universities unless they graduate in the first place. We have more than doubled the graduation rate in the past five years. Our participation rate in high school has jumped from 40 percent to over 80 percent. That indicates if they are not participating in school, they do not have any chance of carrying on. First and foremost, you have to get people to stay in school. We were being totally unsuccessful at keeping them in school when they had to leave their home communities. Now, when they can stay in their communities, they are, for the most part, staying in school. That gives us a much better chance of being successful with them moving on to a higher education, if that is what they choose. Let us not forget there are all sorts of options that do not include going to a southern university. There are probably more jobs in the north related to not going to university, than going to a southern university. Those who do choose to go south, we have to find some way to support them in order to improve their chances of success. In the past, we had almost nobody to support, because they were not graduating. The grade extensions in each community have made a dramatic difference to the numbers of students who are staying in school. That is the first step in seeing a long-term educational success.
Charles Dent on Committee Motion 24-13(4): Recommendation For Withdrawal Of Layoff Notices To Interpreters/translators
In the Legislative Assembly on February 24th, 1997. See this statement in context.
Committee Motion 24-13(4): Recommendation For Withdrawal Of Layoff Notices To Interpreters/translators
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 24th, 1997
Page 845
See context to find out what was said next.