BC releases new education plan in midst of teachers’ strike

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RICHMOND (NEWS1130) – BC has introduced an aggressive plan to modernize its education system, but the minister responsible admits it will be tough to get teachers on board.

Education Minister George Abbott says teachers are willing to look at a new model for learning but he admits it will be difficult because the plan he’s put forward doesn’t address all of their concerns, like class size and composition or Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) tests.

“We’re in a difficult time in terms of the job action and that does have some challenges inherent in it in terms of us reaching out to the [BC Teachers’ Federation],” Abbott says. But he thinks there is hope.

“At our last meeting I suggested to them that we could turn our focus to education renewal in the province and they embraced that possibility, not withstanding that we’ll have our differences,” he says.

Abbott wants to introduce a new model in the spring but talks with teachers are not going well and there are no plans for strike-ending legislation.

The model includes a focus on critical thinking and bringing technology into the classroom, including smartphones and tablets.

“The world has changed and continues to change and in order to keep pace we need to shift the way we look at teaching and learning,” Abbott says.

The plan also involves revamping how teachers communicate with parents and requiring them to do so more often.

It does not include any change to class sizes or composition, an ongoing negotiating issue for teachers.

The omission is a big concern for Glen Hansman with the BC Teachers’ Federation.

While he supports changes included in the plan to help aboriginal students, he says the rest of it still lacks a key component: money.

“In order to do a massive overhaul of the curriculum and the implementation of that, and to incorporate technology into the classroom, there needs to be money,” Hansman says.

NDP Education Critic Robin Austin questions why the plan was launched during contract talks.

“It’s not perhaps the best time to be doing it,” says Austin. “I would hope that the government quickly addresses the class size and composition that needs to be addressed.”

Abbott says those concerns are not addressed in the plan and feels they are better covered in collective bargaining, not curriculum planning.

Video on BC’s education plan (released by Ministry of Education):

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