Education

Education is a basic human right, and the key to our future prosperity. Our capacity to lead in tomorrow’s knowledge economy, as well as our capacity to find innovative solutions to tomorrow’s challenges, depend on having an educated workforce capable of creative and critical thinking.

K-12

The most important infrastructure investment we can make is in the people of Saskatchewan. The cornerstone of this investment is a good public education system. Meeting the diverse needs of our province’s many communities will always be a challenge, but we can all rise to this challenge, and the NDP can lead the way.

We need to start early. All-day kindergarten, as one example, can give every child in Saskatchewan a head start on their education while easing the burden on parents who need to work a full day to make ends meet.

The need is greatest in those communities that face added challenges due to poverty and social dislocation. The previous NDP government took a step in the right direction with the support of community schools. Community schools provide a focal point for neighbourhood services such as community associations, adult learning centres, pediatricians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, elders, addiction counselors and others. We need to expand on the successes of the Schools Plus model (www.education.gov.sk.ca/schoolplus), introducing more community supports in the places where families gather.

Teachers—the heart and soul of the education system—deserve the opportunity to both improve upon their existing skills and learn additional and emerging skills throughout their careers. The central role of teaching needs to be recognized by providing pay that reflects the value of the work and the supports teachers need to do their work.

Our democracy is only as healthy as the next generation of youth and their ability to engage creatively with the world around them. It is not enough to prepare children for the workforce of today, we need to give them the skills to think critically and adapt to change in a world that may bear little resemblance to the one in which we currently live. By investing in people through education, we can ensure that our children are capable of taking up the work of building our future, together.

We need to find innovative ways to respond to the particular challenges of rural education. Many schools in rural Saskatchewan offer only a subset of the courses students need. For example, upper year science classes are absent in many schools in Northern communities. We will all be better served if local people return to their communities to become teachers, doctors and other professionals. We need to provide all students with access to the courses they need.

While Saskatchewan’s population is growing, many small towns continue to shrink. The last school bell’s toll is too often the death knell of a once-thriving community. Young families are the future of rural Saskatchewan and if they have to bus their children long distances for school they will think twice about locating to rural areas.

Of course, not all towns can support a comprehensive K-12 school. Difficult choices sometimes need to be made. But many towns that cannot support a high school can maintain a K-to-6 school. This allows younger children to stay closer to home, with less time on the bus, while allowing older children access to a broader range of programs and courses in a nearby larger centre. It is essential that local communities be involved in finding these solutions.

Saskatchewan should be the best place on earth to be a kid: it’s safe, it’s beautiful, and it’s rich in history and culture. And if we’re really serious about keeping our young people in the province, what better way than to make sure they treasure their first years here?

Post-Secondary

To free ourselves from the boom-and-bust cycle of a principally resource-based economy, we need to invest in the knowledge economy of the future. Our investment in K-12 education must be coupled with investment in post-secondary education, including professional colleges and technical schools as well as sciences and humanities.

Poverty is and has always been a barrier to post-secondary education. But with increasing tuition and related fees, a lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of nutritious food, post-secondary education is increasingly a challenge for children from middle class and working families. Many choose not to seek higher education. Those who do often graduate with a burden of debt that will take them most of their working lives to pay off.

Education must be affordable and accessible for every single Saskatchewan child who wants it. While tax credits may be a useful means of keeping graduates in the province, they are of little use if the cost of education keeps people out of school in the first place. Therefore we should:

• Reinstate the tuition freeze at Saskatchewan universities, making lower tuition fees a priority as finances allow;
• Increase the number and amount of entry and continuing education scholarships;
• Expand tax credit programs to apply to graduate level education (Master’s, PhD);
• Make student loans simpler and more accessible, with a greater portion of forgivable debt;
• Make the student loan system responsive to those who choose to pursue their education part time (eg. working students, single parents);
• Stop punishing students who earn money during school;
• Ensure that student housing is affordable and of good quality;
• Provide support to students who need to move to larger centres to continue their education.

Taking these affordable, practical steps to make education more accessible will allow us to prepare the next generation for our future, together.