Discussing the future of education in NB
On the evening of January 23rd, the Tantramar community came out in great numbers to discuss the Department of Education’s Green Paper. In the first of eleven scheduled community consultations to take place around the province, the Sackville town council chambers were packed with approximately 85 people representing a broad range of the community: parents, teachers, representatives from the university, the Town, pre-K programs, retired educators and community volunteers, and, of course, students currently in the system.
EECD Deputy Minister George Daley moderated a discussion about the state of education in New Brunswick. The focus was on four major questions: strengths and challenges; actions for improvement; parent and community involvement; and existing governance structures. Small group discussions were followed with an opportunity for each table to share their ideas with the larger group. Then the deputy minister responded to almost all the key issues that emerged.
Discussion was wide-ranging and demonstrated the scope and scale of education in our community. It also showed how closely local residents have been engaged in all aspects of teaching and learning. The event continued well beyond its allotted 90 minutes and people stayed to chat about the issues long after the formal session was over.
Pressing issues that arose during the evening include:
French language acquisition challenges,
the impact of poverty, food insecurity, and social inequity on learners,
mental health support for students,
the important role of early childhood education,
the contribution of community partnerships,
the need to rethink education goals,
the need to adopt a sense of life-long learning,
the esteem with which teachers and school staff are held,
classroom composition and support issues,
the lack of funding, and many more.
One theme that emerged consistently was the call for sufficient resources to sustain our current education system. Everyone present echoed the call for more support for teachers and schools. There is no doubt that schools are being called upon to do a great deal and are inadequately resourced. The conversations about these and other issues are far from over.
With such a robust community presence, the event was a powerful message to the NB government that the Tantramar community cares deeply about education and the welfare of our children and youth.
A large crowd gathered in the Sackville Town Hall for the first in a series of community consulations around NB about the Green Paper .
Media Coverage
For local news stories about the Tantramar Green Paper consultation, please see the excellent article in the Sackville Tribune Post. In addition, the New Wark Times published two articles about the session, one focusing on local schools having more decision-making power and one related to supporting students with disabilities in the classroom.
