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Alberta's Education Minister has unveiled an ambitious list of 10 initiatives to be launched in the months ahead.
Minister Thomas Lukaszuk unveiled his 10-point plan for education on Tuesday, pledging to tackle everything from full-time kindergarten to transportation to provincial achievement tests.
One of the platforms was greeted with particular excitement by the Prairie Rose School Division, which has been lobbying the government to do something to address the issue of long bus rides for rural students. In his plan, Lukaszuk promises to reduce travel time for students who spend more than one hour on the bus and floats the idea of a trial project aimed at identifying more efficient bus routes. Another trial will look at giving students access to technology, such as wireless internet, on school buses.
"We're thrilled that he's looking at issues like transportation, the use of technology ... All of these issues are very real for Prairie Rose," said the district's superintendent Doug Nicholls.
Nicholls added that Prairie Rose would welcome the opportunity to participate in one of these pilot projects.
"We'd be interested in anything having to do with technology and internet on buses, and Alberta Education is well aware of it," he said. "We believe we have the expertise as well to deliver it."
Medicine Hat's School District No. 76 praised the fact that "examining the operational requirements of full-day kindergarten" was included in the 10-point plan. The division pioneered full-time kindergarten in Alberta several years ago, funding it out of its own pocket, but was forced to eliminate it in 2010 as a result of budget concerns. The division has long advocated for a provincial financial commitment to the program.
District No. 76 board chair Terry Riley said in light of the new school that is currently in the works for South Ridge, he was also encouraged to see that "coordination of new school buildings with playgrounds" made the list.
"We are of course excited about the South Ridge school and how that might develop," Riley said. "At the moment, our understanding is that the P3 process has no resources available for a playground associated with a school, so we thought that would have to be developed out of local funds."
David Leahy, superintendent of Medicine Hat's Catholic school division, said he was enthusiastic about the Minister's pledge to create more opportunities for students to earn high school and post-secondary credits at the same time. It's something Medicine Hat Catholic already offers on a small scale, through a partnership with Medicine Hat College.
"That part really excites me, so we'll look forward to the details," Leahy said.
The Minister's 10-point plan also includes a promise to launch a review of provincial achievement tests by the spring of 2012.
Sidebar:
10-point plan for education
1) Reduce travel times for students and enable students to better use technology when they travel
2) Create more opportunities for students to earn credits in high school and post-secondary at the same time
3) Update school design specifications to better support communities
4) Coordinate building playgrounds and new schools
5) Reduce the administrative burden for charter schools
6) Support First Nations students by working more closely with the federal government
7) Create a stronger voice for parents in the education system
8) Provide better information to increase transparency, clarity, and accountability in education
9) Review provincial achievement tests
10) Examine the operational requirements of full-day kindergarten.
