SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The territorial government's inclusive schooling policy may be failing to provide incentives for kids to excel in school, according to MLA Glen Abernethy.

"In principal it seems to be reasonable, but there are concerns about implementation and some people sneaking through and getting lost in the system," Abernethy said on Wednesday at a Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) briefing.

"Where are the incentives for them to excel and not just succeed?" he asked.

Abernethy regaled members of the legislative assembly's Standing Committee on Social Programs with a conversation he had with a Grade 9 student.

"He indicated that, 'aw, you know it's going to be a little stressful, this year I actually have to work.'"

"I asked, 'what do you mean,' and he said, 'up 'til now they can't fail me.'"

He asked the department, represented by Education Minister Jackson Lafferty, deputy minister Dan Daniels, assistant deputy minister Roy Erasmus and Rita Mueller, director of Early Childhood and School Services, what they planned to do to combat the perception kids may have that they don't have to work hard.

"Kids are very smart, and if they understand that they can't fail, how hard are they going to work? They're smart, but can they fully understand the ramifications of their actions?" he said.

He said he was a aware that students could be held back, but, he said, "I worry about the perception out there and how we're communicating the concept of inclusive schooling to kids so they understand they still have to work."

Lafferty said the solution lay in getting to the source of the problem of under-achievement, and that students needed to be accountable for their progress.

"It comes down to the teachers, the parents and the students having some sort of agreement and contract so individuals have obligations," he said.

"The perception may be out there, depending on who you talk to, but at the same time I think we have to find the root cause of it (under-achievement)."

Asked if he was satisfied with the answers given, Abernethy said, "they didn't really give one did they?"

"I went back and asked again. I'm not sure if they understood the question I was asking," he said.

He said he was pleased with the overall progress of education in the Northwest Territories, but he will continue to ask the department to look for solutions to the damaging perception that kids may have around inclusive schooling. "I would like them to target the kids and get them to understand the importance of excelling," he said. "There are some things that need to be changed and I'll continue to go down the hall and try to get them to see the light."

The briefing was part of the education department's attempt to dispel concerns that the territorial government's inclusive schooling policy meant students were being promoted to the next grade level while not achieving the previous grade requirements.

Mueller explained the government's policy, stating that research showed students who were held back seldom caught up with their peers and were more likely to drop out of school.