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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A new initiative is aiming to further increase high school graduation rates among aboriginal students.

Since 1998, the number of Northern aboriginal students receiving their high school diploma has steadily increased. Beginning at a dismal 24 per cent the rate had nearly doubled to 44 per cent by 2007, according to the territorial education minister.

In signing on to the Aboriginal Student Achievement Initiative, the GNWT hopes to continue that upward trend and reduce the gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal students in the NWT.

Jackson Lafferty, education minister and strong supporter of the initiative, said NWT schools' recent success is due to strong teacher and staff retention in the communities.

"We're lucky that way," he said. "Having a great extension into the communities and also having various partnerships in the communities, whether it be aboriginal organizations or educators is beneficial and part of this success."

Small and remote communities in the NWT face numerous challenges when delivering education and Lafferty said the goal is to overcome these.

Certain courses are offered online, but Lafferty said the support mechanisms in smaller communities just aren't in place for students to succeed.

"We need to find the root causes of the challenges we are faced with and we need to seek out more information from the 33 communities we serve, and where there needs to be improvement in our education delivery."

Lafferty said one concern is low attendance. He said it's up to parents to make sure their kids are getting the education they need.

"We want the support of the community leaders and parents to allow us to provide our expertise, but also pushing their kids to go to school every day," he said.

In the legislative assembly last week, Lafferty said that an NWT student averages one missed day of class a week.

Lucy Kuptana, executive director of community development for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, told News/North parents need to be there for their children.

"Parents have to encourage their children to go to school and provide the supports they need to go to school," she said. "If the parents aren't doing it then who is guiding the child?"

Lucy Kuptana said aboriginal youth must also set an example for the upcoming generations.

"Having local students graduate, they show the younger generations they can do it and they are able," said Kuptana. "It's important they see the graduation rates increase."

Due to certain issues in the education system, like teachers' lack of support for special needs and the policy of pushing students through grades before they are ready, Kuptana said students aren't getting the education they need to progress after high school.

"It hurts children because they are graduating without the knowledge or education to hold that certificate," she said. "They need to be full graduates, but if they go down south and they don't feel prepared, then it's all for naught."

Lucy Lafferty, Director of Education for the Tlicho Community Service Agency said students need the tools to be successful in life.

"It's important to provide support so everyone will meet success in their lives," she said. "Once you go through the system you want to be a capable person who can do things on their own and not be a burden to the community.

"I hope this program can do that."

Providing students with options and choice is very crucial to the success of a student.

"We have a very strong cultural program to give them the opportunity to still do traditional hunting and trapping," Lucy said. "It's so important to get the education but also the traditional knowledge."

Lafferty said the government is dedicated to providing aboriginal language and culture programs in the schools.

"We want to focus on preserving and revitalizing our language," he said. "It's dying out. We need to do something in that area and we're developing a strategy in that respect."

Lafferty said with the initiative communities will benefit from the continued success and progress of aboriginal youth.

"It can certainly benefit the community through its well-being and its healthiness," he said.

"Having young educated youth in the communities is important. Having their own people working in the system, and even more beneficial is having our own people who speak the language and can teach our youth the language and continue on our tradition."