Monday, September 7, 1998
Education is the most important resource development project under way in the North. As children across the territories head into another school year, it is an opportune time to take a look at the state of education.
The encouraging news is that the number of students that are graduating is on the rise. Less rosy are the statistics that indicate that the number of students graduating is still low compared to national and provincial rates.
This isn't discouraging; it merely means that there is still lots of work to be done.
The value of education to young Northerners can't be over-estimated. The only viable future for the North lies in a skilled, trained workforce that can turn the wealth of natural Northern resources into steady income and careers.
The education of young Northerners, however, is not solely the responsibility of the schools. Parents, employers, in fact the entire community has an obligation to help students find their way through school.
It is also crucial that schools ensure the students they graduate are fully qualified to proceed to the next stage of their education. Nobody is served by rushing students through school without regard to whether or not they have adequately completed their studies.
There are no quick fixes to raising the graduation rate. While adequate funding remains a bone of contention, throwing money at the problem is not the answer.
The solution lies in patiently applying solid principles of education and measuring the results against meaningful standards.
When the challenges ahead appear insurmountable, it is instructive to see just how far we've come. Educators, parents and students can take some encouragement in the small advances indicated by the statistics.
There remains plenty to do, but with the support and encouragement of the whole community, the load gets easier to bear. And the kids are worth it.
The one-year prison sentence a Fort Smith contractor received Aug. 20 for not complying with previous orders to clean up his property sends two messages that need to be heard.
The first message is clear enough -- ignore court orders at your own peril. In a civilized society, no one can be allowed to treat a court order with contempt.
Most people were taught the second message by their parents -- if you make a mess, you are responsible for cleaning it up.
As simple as it is, that message has been far too long getting through to both corporations and citizens in the North.
The Nunavut policing agreement signed last week in Rankin Inlet is an important step toward building a justice system that has closer ties with the people and their traditions.
One of the first intergovernmental agreements to be established for Nunavut, it will provide 112 RCMP officers (six of whom are Inuit) for 22 detachments. The new agreement is touted to provide Nunavut residents with a police service that will break new ground in the development of strategies to deal with the causes of local problems.
By stressing the importance of fostering improved relations between police and community, Nunavut's "V" division has great potential to provide a standard of policing that is better able to work with the people to prevent crime.
In the two cases of the men behind the names raised in News/North last week, we have two very different stories.
In the story of the United States Air Force pilot after whom Cambridge Bay's Greiner Lake was named, we have an egomaniac pulling a fast one on the government of the day. Justice will be done when the lake is renamed Ikaluktutiak, as it was known by Inuit.
The difference in the case of Father Emile Petitot, who despite his controversial personal life was a person of enormous accomplishments, is that it is others who felt his name was worthy to mark geographical landmarks.
Unless stronger evidence emerges that suggests he was less than honorable, Petitot should continue to be given his due.
The Nunavut Youth Abroad program is doing its job.
It gives its youthful participants a taste of life outside of their home communities and instills in them the confidence they need to survive and succeed in the world.
We need to show more support for this program. It's opening doors and providing healthy alternatives in a society that needs them. We can't afford not to support the Nunavut Youth Abroad Program.