Mr. Speaker, today I listened to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment talk about the lifelong learning specifically in the Aurora College initiative that is happening down the

Mackenzie Valley in the Northwest Territories. Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to congratulate the people who are making a difference in the small communities and large centres in terms of entering into college or university or learning the new technology of the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, my concern with the smaller communities is that a tracking of our education system. Mr. Speaker, we have lots of young people who are graduating from school who are finishing Grade 12 but have a very difficult time entering into college or university because sometimes they have to do a couple of years of upgrading to prove their standards to enter into a qualified program at either a college or university. Sometimes the support isn’t there and so these students are left out in the cold, so to speak.

As a case in point, I have several constituents in the Sahtu that have finished Grade 12. We celebrated and graduated them, and yet when they try to enter into a college program of their choice, or university, they are told that they have to upgrade their skills in order to enter into that college. That is where I feel that the education system is somewhat needing to be improved with our students here.

I want to look at these gaps here in terms of where this department is focusing their energy to help these young students to get into colleges and to support them through the college system, even though it means that we have to look at different areas where we can support them through a preparation for college or a university either here in the Northwest Territories or somewhere in universities. Sometimes we seem to not have enough resources to support them. I would want to question the Minister later on in the House in terms of what ways we can look at supporting these young students into colleges or universities and not let them fall between the cracks in terms of the education system. I will be asking questions to the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you.