When the results of a survey released earlier this year showed stress and burnout levels among teachers to be very high, minister Zach Churchill claimed that things had changed for the better. Now a new survey contradicts that claim.
Cuts to the Early Literacy Support Program reveal how the educational establishment in Nova Scotia no longer believes in equal opportunity and inclusion, writes Nancy Spina, a former teacher and a parent of kids with disabilities.
The NSTU has received word that funding and staffing for the Options and Opportunities (O2) program has been cut at some high schools next year. O2 is a co-op program that provides young people with guidance and on-the-job experience to help them positively transition into the workforce.
News release: NSTU President Paul Wozney says the elimination of at least 20 Early Literacy Support (ELS) teaching positions will impact hundreds of students. He is again calling on Education Minister Zach Churchill to release the full list of schools across the province experiencing a reduction in ELS next year.
News release: The NSTU is calling on the government to release a full list of schools across the province where Early Literacy Support teaching positions have been cut.
39% of Early Childhood Educators (ECE) surveyed by the CCPA-NS say they would not be an ECE if they were to choose a career today. A new report, aptly named Unappreciated and Underpaid, explores the workers’ (and employers’) responses and suggests underlying causes and solutions.
Teachers Union president Paul Wozney is not impressed with the first meeting of the government-appointed Provincial Advisory Council on Education (PACE). Presented as somewhat of a a replacement for disbanded school boards, it turns out PACE’s ‘meetings will not be public, and based on the sparse minutes of its first meeting the government intends to limit any actual influence the group can have on its decision making process and sweeping power over public schools.
NSTU president Paul Wozney on this year’s chaotic start of school: “It’s important to set a few things straight. First and foremost, contrary to what Minister Churchill has said, not having proper bus service in place for students to start the school year is not par for the course. Nor is having dozens of support and specialist positions left unfilled at this juncture, for that matter. This dysfunction is far from business as usual, and it would appear the government’s elimination of school boards has led to a great deal of confusion and turmoil within the system.”
A new interactive map shows that residents of rural Nova Scotia are having a hard time finding a child care spot. You can zoom in, zoom out, or plug in your postal code.
The provincial government’s recent announcement of a new free pre-primary program for children turning four is good news for parents, write Christine Saulnier and Tammy Findlay. But its implementation seems rushed and is occurring without meaningful consultation, and that is dangerous. We need a funded transition plan to a full system for all children in Nova Scotia.