Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the good work done in the last Assembly by the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, who is now the Honorable Premier. In the 19th Assembly, the Minister of ECE made changes to the Student Financial Assistance program where the 12-semester limit, or $60,000 cap on funding, was removed for Indigenous students. Mr. Speaker, this is an incredible offering to the Indigenous students of the NWT. This support makes education more accessible and equitable.
Mr. Speaker, we know the education outcomes of Indigenous people in the NWT are well below non-Indigenous. Non-Indigenous students graduate high school at a rate of 70 to 80 percent but Indigenous students are graduating at only a rate of 40 to 50 percent. The graduation rate is higher in Yellowknife than anywhere else in the NWT, although graduation rates in the regional centres are close behind. Mr. Speaker, clearly students in small communities are disadvantaged and require extra services and support to achieve equity in education.
Mr. Speaker, education is a treaty right, and providing this unlimited SFA support truly means that Indigenous students can have a dream and now have the means to achieve the knowledge which can make those dreams reality. A lot of students in small communities can now use SFA to upgrade after high school so they can get into college or university and feel comfortable and ready for post-secondary education. Without a cap or limit on the amount of funding they can access, students in small communities are set up for success. Now Indigenous students can access SFA for the things they need to do, whether it be upgrading or pursuing the highest level of education they can dream of. Mr. Speaker, can I have unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
Mr. Speaker, this government has a major task to improve education outcomes in the NWT, but there have been good actions taken along the way. I want to acknowledge and thank the Minister of ECE from the 19th Assembly for changes in policy to support Indigenous students, most especially those in small communities. Thank you.