Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today the Department of Education, Culture and Employment did do a news release in regard to the Beaufort-Delta Education Council’s program, the e-learning program that they have within the Beaufort-Delta region and it is one-time funding to explore e-learning in more of the communities across the Northwest Territories.

I’d just like to speak to this again. This method of course delivery helps the Beaufort-Delta Education Council, and hopefully the Department of Education address many of the challenges that our schools face, such as high teacher turnover, limited course offerings, small senior high class sizes, which prevent the allocation of a full-time teacher to many of the specialized courses, decreasing the gap in academic achievement between our smaller and rural schools and the more populated centres. As well, it has the potential to increase the need for students to leave their home communities in search of various course offerings.

The Beaufort-Delta Education Council over the last five years has been developing these on-line courses to provide better learning opportunities for all their students. These on-line academic courses are for students and teachers to meet the objectives through activities, videos, on-line work and assessment. I know a few of the Members here have firsthand experience working with this program and it is very successful.

Today I’d just like to thank the Minister and the staff in his department for working with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council to provide this one-time funding to the Beaufort-Delta Education Council to get more of these academic courses into our smaller communities. I’d also like to thank the Beaufort-Delta Education Council for being so innovative, thinking outside of the box, looking at different ways to keep our students at home in the small communities while getting the education that they deserve. I’d also like to thank all Members that support this initiative moving forward. I think that will show some very strong, positive impacts for education in the Northwest Territories in the years to come. Thank you.