Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, recently the newspapers have been printing congratulations to the high school graduates and pictures of grads. I am extremely proud of those who have graduated from high school and I support their educational and career aspirations. We need our youth to be highly educated and well trained in order to secure and retain employment. These graduates are our future. We must ensure the education they are receiving in our schools will allow them to pursue and fulfill their dreams of further education, training or employment.
However, the education system of the Northwest Territories seems to be failing some of our children, especially those who expect that the grade 12 diploma they receive will open doors to their future. Many people in our communities are reporting that the youth graduating with grade 12 do not have the educational skills to pass college or trades entrance exams. These exams have entrance requirements that range from a grade 8 to a grade 12 level.
With the emphasis that the GNWT is placing on the need for trades and other professionals, we need to ensure that our people are employable in all skill areas. For too long we have been complacent about Northerners being employed in menial, unskilled positions. The demand for employees in all of our trades and technical fields is great. There needs to be assurance that our youth have educational levels that match those of our southern neighbours.
Our graduates are bright, capable people. We do not want them short-changed by an educational system that is not delivering quality education. For example, Mr. Speaker, medical personnel are in high demand in the Northwest Territories, but how many students pursue further studies in medicine? Are we encouraging our youth to become doctors? Do our youth receive a science education that will allow them to pursue this type of a career?
We spend all of our time trying to convince people from other areas to move here and practice medicine when we should be encouraging academic achievement for our youth so they can pursue this type of career and stay in the North. I would like to have the Minister of Education confirm that our students are not being short-changed and that the education these students are receiving is equal to that of the rest of Canada.
Are there benchmarks that must be reached at a certain grade level? Are our students achieving those levels? Are we giving them false hopes by allowing them to graduate but they are not able to attend post-secondary schooling because their marks are not high enough?