Province
Législature
Session
Type de discours
Date du discours
Locuteur
Fonction du locuteur
Parti politique
Colombie-Britannique
35e
2e
Discours sur l’éducation
16 avril 1993
Anita Hagen
Minister of Education
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
It's always a great welcome for me to have the Minister of Finance, with whom I have worked very closely in developing the Education budget, provide the House with a broad perspective as we begin our formal estimates debate. I'm honoured to introduce the '93-94 budget for the Ministry of Education and Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism and Human Rights.
I think the priority we place on this part of our work is reflected by the fact that for the second year we are bringing the Education estimates forward first. I think that says that the government is proud of our work in this area and that we want to have the debate take place early so that our partners in education may get on with their work in the 75 school districts in the province, which represent so many people who labour for our children.
The details of the budget will indeed show our government's strong commitment to the education of our students through the settlement services necessary for our new citizens and immigrants: pursuing the investment opportunities that immigration creates, dealing with cultural and racism issues which diversity can sometimes bring, and ensuring the appropriate response to citizens' concerns regarding their treatment, as we pursue human rights for all our citizens.
As I begin, I would like to draw the attention of members and people in the gallery to the fine examples of students' art in the corridors of our Legislature. For the first time, we have a students' art centre, and that is an opportunity for us to see, on a rotating basis, a demonstration of the creativity and wonder that is part of children's art. I must say, too, that I enjoy a rotating exhibit in my office. I invite you, in your tour, to come in anytime to see some of the work that students provide and that is noted by everyone who visits my office.
Without question, the budget for this year has been drafted with great thought. Let me put it into some context for all of us. Migration to our province is high. In 1991 almost 30,000 new Canadians arrived in British Columbia, and over 80,000 new British Columbians arrived from elsewhere in Canada. These trends have an obvious and dramatic effect on our student populations. Enrolment is higher than ever in the province. We have 550,000 students enrolled in the public schools and 46,000 in various independent schools, and an additional 21,000 students are registered in correspondence schools, adult education programs and home schooling.
As well, over 100 languages are spoken in the homes of our students in British Columbia, ranging from the old aboriginal languages to languages that many of us are just beginning to know exist within our human family. Over 40,000 students receive English-as-an-additional-language services -- almost three times as many as five years ago. Over 50,000 students receive special education services -- again, a significant increase over recent years.
Changing family conditions, as well, are affecting the nature of our student body, as we have more and more single-parent families, families with low incomes, or situations of abuse or neglect. The age of our students is increasing. First of all, I know that all of you will be pleased to note that more and more youth are choosing to stay in school. They're often working part-time and going to school part-time. In addition, as I noted earlier, many adults are using our schools as community centres to bring their education to a graduation level. Without question, these trends represent challenges for my ministry, for all those working in the field and for government.
I want to deal now with the Education portion of my portfolio. I want to say first that we are educating our young people to be active citizens and full participants in their communities. As well, as all our members know, ensuring a successful economy, the creation of new jobs and our position in a global marketplace hinges on having skilled, trained, well-educated citizens. This is challenging for all of us, not just for those who work in our schools. We often say -- and it's something we need to reinforce -- that it takes a whole community to educate a child, including, of course, the children's families.
For the good of each and every student who attends our schools and for the good of our province we must all support British Columbia's education system. Conflicts in our system trouble us all, but I want to repeat: we must all support our education system for the potential of every child who is a student in our system and for the well-being of our province as a whole.
Every young person benefits from a good education, but society benefits as well. Education increases the stability and strength of our workforce and our economy. Through education and training we provide the essential tools to create jobs and improve opportunities in our diverse regions. For that reason I want to emphasize how important it is for us to deal with all our young people in every region of the province as we plan our education services for them. Every student deserves and has a right to opportunity. That's the reason that special education programs are a particular priority of our education system and of this government, and that's why additional efforts are being made to support adult learners as they attempt to meet the new challenges of a vastly changing society.
Another critical aspect of schooling is what students learn, especially the basic skills they acquire and the level of achievement they reach. I believe, and I believe I'm supported by all of you, that each and every learner needs to achieve certain basic skills and demonstrate certain minimum standards of achievement. But how do we define those in these days of rapidly changing needs in a rapidly changing society and economy?
I find it helpful to go back to thinking about accomplishments in what the public often calls the basics. Everybody needs to be able to read thoughtfully, to understand language as they read it and hear it in so many ways in their daily lives. They need, too, to be able to express themselves in writing, because this is a knowledge-based society and the ability to communicate by putting down one's thoughts and ideas in words is very important. We also know that the basic skills of arithmetic and math provide the underpinnings for much of the technical and work-related knowledge that people need to have, in addition to being a tool for everyday living. We're also looking for accomplishments in what are sometimes called the new basics: to communicate effectively by using the basics of reading and writing, to analyze and use information, to utilize technology and to work cooperatively as part of a team. It's clear that both of these aspects of schooling concern and interest parents, employers and taxpayers generally.
The rapid pace at which the world's knowledge is advancing, the complicated, challenging and competitive world in which we find ourselves and the magnitude of change that we each experience daily mean that those old basics, although still essential, are no longer adequate. The skills that will be required for the rest of the twentieth century and for the twenty-first century are new, challenging and fluid and changing, just as our world is changing. To provide for these new learning skills, every learner must have a curriculum that I believe must be offered in a structured environment, where discipline and rigour exist.
It's in this environment that our teachers work daily -- thinking of the social context, the changes that are occurring and the new challenges that they face as professionals. These highly trained and skilled professionals have the task of helping our students to process information, acquire a diversity of critical and basic skills and develop an attitude and approach to life that will enable them to be constructive and productive citizens. As supporters of our children, they must do this while helping every student with their social and physical maturing process. I believe that it's probably the most difficult and challenging task that any professional group, in the many workplaces in our society, faces. These highly skilled and professional people are renewing their commitment and ability to work with our children on a daily basis.
When I say this next sentence, I want you to know that I do so not only from a personal perspective but also from observations that have been made to me by people from many jurisdictions. British Columbia is fortunate to be blessed with some of the best educators in the world. I want members to know that I have had that affirmed for me by people who have travelled the world, who have worked, studied and taught in other jurisdictions and who have come to that perspective because of their knowledge and experience. I came to that perspective because of a personal experience as well, having visited classrooms in many parts of the province, and I came to it with an increased respect for the many talented individuals who are trusted with our most valuable human resource: our children.
I want to take just a moment in my comments today to celebrate an event that was very important for me, and it occurred in my own riding of New Westminster yesterday. We opened the newest school in our city, and it replaced the oldest school, Herbert Spencer Elementary School, which was built 81 years ago in the heartland of a heritage part of our community. We had two wonderful celebrations yesterday: one with the children and one with the whole community in the evening -- hours of just being together in that community school.
I had the distinct pleasure of visiting classrooms that were empty of children but full of children's work. It was a different experience from the usual one. As I visited each classroom and talked to the teachers and some of the parents and children who were in their classrooms, the thing that struck me so strongly was the level of the work that those children of nine, ten and 11 were doing. Their classrooms, in which they'd been for just a few weeks, were full of their individual, creative and challenging accomplishments, guided by their teachers. I saw everything from a wonderful video production that emulated an advertisement -- a wonderful teaching tool about graves which promoted a cemetery and used some of the communication skills and strategies as part of understanding how to do promotion with humour and a great deal of dramatic skill -- to excellent examples of science displays where the language the children used, the issues they dealt with and the conclusions they came to were as accomplished as would have been seen at secondary school levels a few years ago. That was a passive experience of those children's work, but it was an interesting way to reflectively observe the fine achievement that is going on in our classrooms. I'm delighted to be able to highlight that in my own community.
I've seen teachers all over the province working in new and creative ways to educate our children. They are responding, the children are responding and the parents are responding to the changes and the challenges that are exciting the children.
Last night I talked to a lot of parents, and I always ask: "How's your child doing?" I heard them talking to the teachers about how their children were doing. Again that sense of the achievement of their children, the confidence the children have and the high level of competence they're achieving was evident to me.
I want to note, as we all recognize, that teachers can no longer work in isolation from their communities; many others need to be involved. Parents are playing an increasingly vital role in children's education. They're the children's first teachers, and later they complement and support the work of teachers through at-home assistance. We know how critical parents are to fostering a love of learning and a sense of support and security for their children.
The tremendous interest of our parents is evident in the increased number of parent and district advisory committees in the province at the local and provincial level, and their involvement in all aspects of school activities. That's very significant and very important for their children and for education generally. But it's not just the parents. The community, too, is playing an increasingly active role in supporting education. Community-based organizations are increasingly involved in supporting schools.
I always like to look at examples in my own district because I know them well. A local electrician has spent hours of work with some young people in the shops in our secondary school, helping them to build pretty sophisticated hovercraft vehicles. They then take these into the community along with the group of youngsters who are working on CounterAttack and zero tolerance of use of drugs and alcohol. The hovercraft draw people to their exhibits to see the technical work that's going on. At the same time these young people are modelling good, constructive behaviour and sending out a message about responsible citizenship. That marriage of volunteer technical work and social message is a very powerful metaphor for the changes that are occurring as communities are involved in collaborative efforts.
Business and labour are aware of the new, emerging skills they require of employees, and they offer a significant resource in terms of skills to teach our youth. It's interesting to note that the employability skills that have been published in pamphlets widely circulated by the Conference Board of Canada are the skills that form the basis and cornerstone of what is being taught in schools. I'd like to repeat those new basics again: communications, critical thinking, problem-solving and the ability to work in cooperative environments.
We share the vision, and we share the perspective of what needs to be a part of our school environments and our children's learning. At the provincial and national levels, provincial and national organizations are playing new and expanded roles in education. I might just note that the Canadian Manufacturers' Association, for example, provides speakers for our schools -- role models and mentors for our young people.
The budget that's proposed and that we will be discussing during this estimate period reflects some of these interests, challenges and trends. Funding to be directed to schools for '93-94 will rise to $3.58 billion, including $3.4 billion in operating grants to school districts. Among many other initiatives, this is what is included in that $3.4 billion: funding for enrolment growth, estimated to be about 2.5 percent; support for education change in school districts; help to meet the demands of inner-city schools; support for teen parent programs which ensure that our young women are mostly able to continue with their schooling and have support in caring for their small children; the school meals program; increased support for special-needs children; and the costs to support school construction. In addition, the funding helps to relieve overcrowding in our rapidly growing school districts.
Grants to independent schools will continue, although support for certain currently partially funded schools, the group 3 schools, will be eliminated because of the insufficient accountability required of those schools in our legislation.
What kinds of commitment does this $3.58 billion represent? The budget represents a 3 percent increase in operating grants in this very difficult period of revenue generation for the province. I'd like to compare this with recent grant announcements in other western provinces: zero percent in Alberta; a 2 percent decline in Manitoba; a 4 percent reduction in Saskatchewan -- and I could go on to other jurisdictions further east.
I am especially pleased today to announce a substantial capital construction budget of $561 million. It is good news for our children and for the regions of the province. This budget will enable us to continue to address serious overcrowding in many districts, brought about by the unprecedented enrolment increases that I spoke about a moment ago and by underfunding through much of the 1980s, conditions which led to the very extensive use of portables.
With this $561 million we will achieve the following: nearly 24,000 new spaces will be created, and over 11,000 students will be moved out of portables and into permanent classrooms a year earlier than anticipated. That, colleagues and members of the Legislature, is a matter of great satisfaction to me. In the first year that I was minister we had more portables at the end of the year rather than fewer, and we need to reverse that trend.
In the two Education budgets I have introduced since we took office as government, our government has provided more than $1.1 billion for school construction. I want to emphasize that this investment not only provides better learning environments for students -- and oh, what a wonderfully better learning environment it is for them -- but also provides jobs directly in the affected communities and benefits those communities in many ways.
Our government is very aware that all public spending must be done prudently and wisely to protect the interests of taxpayers, and with a school construction budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars, we must be particularly prudent. That's why we are undertaking a major initiative this year to ensure that our schools are planned and developed in the most cost-effective way. With the number of students and with the number of buildings we are working on, that's a very important task.
I want to highlight today some other initiatives we are taking around the planning of school construction in cooperation with municipalities. We will be introducing legislation this spring to encourage school boards and municipalities to work together to improve planning for our schools and for the communities in which they are located. The second part of this initiative is that my ministry and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs will be consulting with stakeholders early this summer on how to best put aside land for schools in new developments. Government then hopes to introduce legislation in the spring of 1994 to implement changes as a result of these consultations. Finally, our government is working to develop guidelines to ensure that off-site development costs charged to school boards for municipal facilities, such as roads and sewers, are appropriate.
Overall, these initiatives recognize that schools are more than places to get a good education. They are extremely valuable community assets used by a wide variety of community groups to provide not only the 9-to-5 services to children but a whole range of programs and opportunities for the community. I hope we will have further initiatives to announce throughout the year which will indicate ways we are cooperating in making these community investments for community programs. Again I emphasize how important these school construction activities are in providing benefits for the economy in the jobs that they directly create.
Our budget for education this year represents a commitment to continued improvement to the fairness and equity of funding distribution. It includes resources to respond to the recommendations of the recent education funding review, and to continue to review and improve the processes used to distribute funds to meet the needs of B.C. students in our diverse regions.
What does all this equal? It equals a commitment to improving education by building on the good elements of the system; a substantial allocation of resources to support that commitment; a desire to continue in cooperation with all citizens in meeting the challenges of a changing world; and a continuing recognition of the diversity of our children, who are our province's greatest resource -- a resource that is, like our province, changing each year.
What are some of the changes we have made to education since our mandate began in the fall of 1991? We've responded to changing societal needs and expectations of schools by supporting needed programs for teen parents, hungry children and children with physical or emotional disabilities. Schools are increasingly the active centres of our children's lives. That's one of the reasons our inner-city schools project is such an important initiative in this budget year. As well, we are beginning a project this year to review and renew the role of secondary schools as community centres of learning. I know many communities will be very actively involved in supporting that project. As a government we have a strong commitment to the critical and formative years of early childhood, the early years at school and the years through adolescence to graduation, when most students are at risk of dropping out. This year we will be continuing special initiatives to address students who still leave school before graduating.
In my very extensive travels throughout the province in the past year, I found support for the new primary program based on the longstanding practice of primary teachers on which the program is built. We will continue to develop this program with an ongoing review of and response to the needs of both teachers and parents. Teachers are reporting that students are reading more in the primary years, the new method of sharing assessment and reporting a student's performance is becoming better understood, and parents' involvement and interest in their children's education continues to grow.