Thank you Mr. Chairman. You know, Education, Culture and Employment represents 24 percent of our total budget. The Minister said a lot of good things as to what they are providing that will help my communities in Nunakput. The $1.3 million to improve education for aboriginal students through the literacy programs, after-school programs, which is a big uptake in my home community of Tuktoyaktuk and other communities that I represent, culture orientation for new teachers coming into our riding, aboriginal student achievement coordinator position, that is going to be coming in. I would like to ask the Minister where would that be located and how the coordinator would connect with the small communities in regions where the highest aboriginal populations.
Two hundred thousand dollars for youth programs such as Northern Youth Abroad; $600,000 to improve our early childhood development programs, which is a really big asset for our kids going to preschool, getting a head start in regards to getting into kindergarten and starting on their education; improved support for arts in the schools, $200,000; the additional support for apprentices; the enhanced support of Internet use in education. Internet is an important link to the schools in Nunakput communities. I would like to commend the Minister in regards to that going forward. The $100,000 in funding to promote achievement in
secondary diploma for adults is really needed. We are at the doorstep, hopefully, with our pipeline going forward and the offshore, so staying in school and getting your education is such a big important step in the communities, and providing education for all of the Northwest Territories and those eight students we have in Sachs Harbour, so I am looking forward to making sure that we get the funding for this coming budget year to get a teacher there full time.
Mr. Chairman, the areas for improvement, improved high school education so that young people can achieve success at the outset and not have to come back to upgrade as adults. Making sure you are not social passing and making sure the students are qualified in grade 12 upon graduation. Enhancing training skills for workers and access to trades, that will especially be important with the go ahead of the Mackenzie Gas Project. Recruitment and retention of teaching staff; housing has always been an issue in the communities but we have teachers, like in my home community of Tuktoyaktuk, Miss Anne Marie Cameron, who has been there since she was Grade 4 teacher, so that is going on a long time ago and still I want to thank her to this day about all the good work she has done. She is retiring this year and, if she does, she is going to be sadly missed, but hopefully we can talk her into one more year,
You may also wish specific allocations for our region, the school for Tuktoyaktuk, the extension that is badly needed. My teaching situation in Sachs Harbour; those eight students in the community are having no education right now, sitting in the community and wondering what we are doing for the last two and half months until May, when they are done school, but I am hoping to see if we can get a teacher in there for the last two and half months for them to get some credits. I really hope we can accomplish this with the Minister and on a go-forward basis. He has a lot of good things happening in Nunakput, but in the areas of improvement I would like to get some answers to. Thank you Mr. Chairman.