Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Today I stand together with my band of small community brothers and we will be asking for attention and asking questions for our poor, outdated schools in the small communities.
Our constituents are mainly Aboriginal people. We’re calling on the government to ensure the quality of small school facilities are on par with the likes of the new East Three in Inuvik and the rebuilt Mildred Hall in Yellowknife.
The quality of small community schools is pitiful compared to the quality of schools in the regional centres. It is time for a change.
Our constituents are fed up with the double standard. Numerous times I’ve declared in this House that my constituents in Trout Lake need a stand-alone school. Officially known as Charles Tetcho School, it is currently housed in the multi-purpose community hall. The school portion essentially consists of a single classroom. The school is overcrowded and the facilities are inadequate. The Minister of Education toured the school and he witnessed the problems firsthand.
Trout Lake has grown in size in recent years and school enrollment has grown with it. Enrollment is expected to rein steady or even increase in the coming years. Recent upgrades were made to the community hall, but that was just a band aid solution. Upgrades don’t address the fundamental problem. The school isn’t big enough and it has no autonomy.
According to the department’s capital planning schedule, improvements are likely to be made to Trout Lake’s school by 2018, but we have no assurance of that. In any case, four years is too long of a wait.
The quality and feel of a school facility has enormous impacts on student morale and the calibre of their work. Indeed, the quality of school facilities should be a consideration of government’s well publicized goal to eliminate the achievement gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.
Every single NWT student deserves a quality education regardless of where they live. Planning studies should be undertaken to guarantee a level
playing field across the Territories. Indeed, with the Education Renewal Initiative on the horizon and junior kindergarten, now is the right time for a concerted territorial effort to enhance school facilities for Aboriginal children in our small communities. Thank you.