Sep
28
It's About Education
Sep 2010
By Carole James, MLA
As a parent, foster parent, and former school trustee, I've spent much of my life working to improve public education. Time and again, I have seen the power of education to transform lives and open up new worlds of possibility. These experiences reinforce my conviction that education is the key to both a strong economy and a strong society.
In recent weeks, I have been travelling our province, talking with British Columbians about improving education and learning. I have spoken with parents who want their children to get the best start in life; with students who are working hard to complete post-secondary education; with teachers, educators and support staff, who are passionate about their work; with boards of education about the challenges they face; and with leaders in business and labour about the looming skills shortage.
One message comes through very clearly: Education is the most important investment government can make to secure our long-term economic prosperity and social well-being.
Of course, the importance of education to our economy and society is nothing new. It's been true for generations. What's different today, however, is the growing importance of human capital to sustainable economic growth -- more important than resources, than machinery, than financial capital.
To quote noted U.S. economist and former Labour Secretary Robert Reich, "Your most precious possession is not your financial assets. Your most precious possession is the people you have working and what they carry around in their heads."
More than ever, productivity, wealth creation and our long-term economic security are driven by the inventiveness and ingenuity of our people. Deny the opportunity for any one child to fulfill their potential and every one of us is that much poorer.
The current provincial government doesn't seem to understand that. Funding pressures are forcing school boards to close schools and cut vital student programs. There are still thousands of overcrowded classrooms, where students struggle to learn from teachers with too few resources. Schools turn to parents to help fill the gap; a growing number of them are being asked to buy even the most basic educational supplies.
Today in B.C., two out of every 10 children fail to complete high school. For First Nations children, that number more than doubles. The same is true for children with special needs. Indeed, the latest Progress Board report shows that B.C. is second to last in the country for graduation rates. And while it's true that Canada is one of the most educated countries in the world, 40 per cent of British Columbians lack the literacy skills to thrive in today's economy.
We can do better. That's why I have put education at the top of my agenda and why I am inviting British Columbians to join me in a conversation about how we focus resources in the classroom and improve learning for every child.
It's also why I have done much more than simply oppose the government's record. I have also worked with parents, educators and boards of education to propose specific and practical alternatives to improve outcomes for our students.
For example, in B.C. we already have strong core literacy and numeracy programs at the elementary level. I believe we should extend those programs through to secondary schools to ensure every young British Columbian has the reading and math skills they need to successfully pursue further education.
We also need to do a much better job tracking and supporting students who face additional challenges to graduation. And to keep these young people in school, we need to keep them engaged. One way we can do that is to expand career exploration programs. Whether technology or travel, arts or sciences, students have a world of opportunities ahead of them. We must give them the chance to experience and prepare for that future while they're still in school.
And we have to have an honest conversation about funding levels, free from the overheated rhetoric that gets in the way of solutions. Education is not simply a cost, it's an investment. British Columbians understand that. And so, instead of fighting with trustees and parents, the government has to take responsibility for downloaded costs and better explain their spending priorities.
In a world where ingenuity is the vital link between a growing economy and a healthy and inclusive society, we can all agree on the critical importance of education to BC's future. What we need now is a government that will act to make education --and our children's future -- its number one priority.
Let me know what you think - carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca