Thank you. Mr. Speaker, it was my great pleasure to sign an agreement recently with the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. This will bring up to 4.3 million dollars to the NWT post-secondary students over the next ten years.
The first scholarships will be awarded in the coming school year. In 1999-2000, 133 awards of $3,000 each will be given to NWT students. This is an additional $413,000 available to post-secondary students. This number of scholarships will be available in each of the next three years for a total of $1.239 million. The 133 scholarships will be awarded based on financial need and academic merit.
There is also a category of awards for exceptional merit. These awards are based on leadership, academic excellence and community service. Five awards will be made at the community level and two more at the territorial level. The seven winners of these awards will also receive an additional $3,000.
The names of the territorial level award winners will be forwarded to the Foundation which will also select a single national level scholarship. Mr. Speaker, all of the awards will be provided to the successful student applicants on top of their existing student financial assistance entitlement.
The Canada Millennium Scholarships will be processed through the existing NWT student financial assistance program. All students who have successfully completed at least one year of post-secondary program with a 60 percent average or better are eligible to apply for the scholarships.
The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is currently informing students who have applied for student financial assistance about the scholarships and the application procedures for the financial need awards. The department is developing the guidelines for administering the exceptional merit awards and will be communicating the details to students and the public shortly.
Candidates for the scholarships will be identified by the end of October and the names forwarded to the foundation so that cheques can be produced and in the hands of students by January, 2000.
Mr. Speaker, the Government of the Northwest Territories is very pleased to be a partner with the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation in this program to provide increased support to our post-secondary students. With the high cost of post-secondary education, these scholarships are a welcome addition to our existing student financial assistance program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.