Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in a return to a written question yesterday, the Minister for Education identified that and I quote from the return: "There is no doubt that the department would like to provide additional funding to our schools, to enable them to purchase more resources, texts and materials." This week, published in a full page ad, the NWTTA and education stakeholders submitted a similar plea. We have raised the concern of schools operating without proper resources within this House. We have asked for more allocations to help alleviate the shortage of staff, yet the same response is that we have no monetary or fiscal resources to help and identify the agreed need. We have heard morale is low in our schools. Educators have to do more with less.
Today, I received a letter from the chair of the Apex Education Counsel, Eva Michael. Ms. Michael states that, children come to school eager to learn, to share and to grow up as citizens of the world. Too often though, our children are burdened by problems too numerous to elaborate. Teachers spend too much time maintaining a semblance of discipline rather than in guiding our children. These problems affect our children's learning. These problems have a negative effect on the morale of school staff. Mr. Speaker, a progressive school encourages learning within a sensitive and caring family oriented atmosphere. A reasonable and manageable class size, fosters learning in a school. Ms. Michael is sending a letter and she states, "we petition the Government of the Northwest Territories to provide our children with adequate resources to achieve their potential. Children are our future and do we deny them that future."
Mr. Speaker, later today I will be asking the Minister of Education, some questions on this matter. Thank you.
--Applause