Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have in our hands a territorial report called 2000 Student Support Needs Assessment. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment conducted research on student support. I have to commend them. They did a great job.

Information is obtained on 9,619 students in the Northwest Territories school system. Upon review, it is clear that Northwest Territories education jurisdictions are still experiencing some gaps though, especially for specialized services. Service demands have increased for speech and language services, yet there are limited specialty services for students. Only three percent of schools have a speech or language pathologist available in the community. If communities have an audiologist or an eye team, it is a visiting service. The concern here is about the time lag between needing a specialist and actually meeting with one.

In the report, students indicated the highest needs for tutorial and homework assistance, plus smaller group or individual instruction. Counselling was given to about 12 percent of students in the 1999-2000 school year; 28 percent was needed.

Northwest Territories teachers said there was a need for some assessments and professional support services, and teachers are torn. They are spending much time and energy to support the students but while they are giving all this extra support, it can take away from their teaching time in the classroom. The report also made it clear that not all school staff are aware of what services are actually available either in their home community or elsewhere.

Mr. Speaker, this document clearly outlines that much needs to be done to support the students in a coordinated manner. I hope there are plans resulting from this report to deal with the gaps in student specialty service needs. Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

-- Applause