NEW WESTMINSTER B.C. – B.C. Green Party candidate (New Westminster) and Education Spokesperson, Jonina Campbell, released the following statement in response to the 2017 Speech from the Throne:
“The government is taking great pride in the accomplishments that have happened over the past year in education. It is true that due to the hard work from educators and parents there have been gains in our graduation rate, however, the BC Greens believe that any celebration regarding gains in education is premature. The Liberal government's celebration of educational accomplishments rings a little hollow when 20% of our children live in poverty. It is hard to celebrate educational accomplishments when funding doesn’t provide for a proper breakfast program for students in need. It is simply wrong to speak of the gains made in education when funding for vulnerable students with mental health issues continue to be ignored.”
“It is always a good thing when students are graduating high school; it would be much better if we were able to ensure that they were also properly prepared for the challenges of working in this new economy. Our schools do not have the resources needed to fully prepare students for the workforce or postsecondary education.”
“Though we have more students graduating, we still have too many students with special needs are not getting the services they need because school districts are stretched to ensure acceptable support is available to students for a full school day. It is a frustration of parents and teachers alike that students are waitlisted, sometimes for years, before a student can undergo proper diagnostic testing.”
“The B.C. Liberal Government has stated that now that the Supreme Court has spoken, they are committed to working in good faith with our teachers. Working in good faith with our teachers should not occur because of the Supreme Court ruling. Good faith with our teachers should occur because it is the right thing to do.”
“We should certainly be proud of the work that is being done in classrooms across this province but we cannot forget about the students who are being left behind. We need to do more. We need to do a lot more for our students before we can take great pride in our accomplishments.”
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