school education news

Alberta premier gives mandate to develop for-profit colleges to offer diplomas and degreesAlberta premier gives mandate to develop for-profit colleges to offer diplomas and degrees

July 25, 2023| 3:34 pm

Alberta’s premier wants the advanced education minister to pave the way for private career colleges to deliver accredited diploma and degree programs. The proposal raises concern from advocacy groups that for-profit career colleges in the province could eventually receive public money after the government slashed funding to public universities, colleges and polytechnics. Premier Danielle Smith outlines the proposal in a Friday mandate letter to Minister Rajan Sawhney, along with 17 other goals. In a Friday interview, Sawhney said any funding to for-profit institutions would be decided on a case-by-case basis and be driven by labor shortages. “We are not going…

High transportation costs, inflation prompts Waterloo region school board to send letters to education ministerHigh transportation costs, inflation prompts Waterloo region school board to send letters to education minister

July 5, 2023| 1:35 pm

Trustees with the Waterloo Region District School Board have passed the budget for the 2023-24 school year. But in doing so, they were “forced to make some very difficult decisions regarding staffing and resources,” chairperson Joanne Weston wrote in a letter to Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. The board’s letter, dated June 27 and which has also been published on the school board’s website, has asked Lecce to review how school boards are currently being funded and “address some of the critical gaps” the board is facing. Among the top concerns is transportation, Weston said in an interview with…

Youth program workers know the value of educationYouth program workers know the value of education

June 20, 2023| 8:51 am

Christina Kioke has fallen in love with education and wants to pass that love on. It’s what started her back to school at the age of 32 to take the Northern College social services worker program, and it led to her nomination for a Premier’s Award for new graduates. “I feel a lot of pride in being nominated for this award, and I’m just very proud of everything I was able to overcome,” said Kioke. She will be traveling to Toronto in November for the celebration of the nominees. She plans to represent her experience and culture on the red…

Northern Ireland schools teach pupils that homosexuality is wrongNorthern Ireland schools teach pupils that homosexuality is wrong

June 15, 2023| 7:42 am

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s report found that relationships and sexuality education in Northern Ireland schools does not meet human rights standards. (Getty Images) A report has been ruled there is a “compelling” case for a reform of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) after it was found that some schools in Northern Ireland teach pupils homosexuality is wrong. Published on Monday (12 June), the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission’s (NIHRC) report finds that RSE in Northern Irish schools does not meet human rights standards to which government is bound. As a result of the findings, the commission has concluded…

Quebec’s education minister criticized for comments about teachers’ salariesQuebec’s education minister criticized for comments about teachers’ salaries

May 27, 2023| 4:53 am

Québec – Education Minister Bernard Drainville is dismissive of teachers when he insinuates that they are deserving less of a significant pay raise than MNAs, according to Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy. In an interview with Le Devoir on Monday, Drainville was asked why Quebec teachers don’t deserve to be among the highest paid in Canada, while MNAss are on their way to becoming so. The CAQ government introduced a bill to increase the pay of MNAs in the national assembly by 30 per cent. Teachers have been offered at least a 9 per cent increase over five years. Drainville responded…

Higgs’s remarks on LGBTQ policy called ‘deplorable’ by education council membersHiggs’s remarks on LGBTQ policy called ‘deplorable’ by education council members

May 24, 2023| 4:25 am

Members of the Anglophone East district education council have waded into a debate over New Brunswick’s policy on LGBTQ students in schools, with one member calling Premier Blaine Higgs’s comments on the issue “deplorable.” “I know it’s recent news, it just came out, but the premier’s comments regarding Policy 713 tonight are absolutely deplorable,” Dominic Vautour said during the council’s meeting Tuesday evening in Moncton. It was one of a series of comments by Anglophone East council members, who oversee a district in the southeast region of the province with more than 18,000 students, that criticized the government and its…

Quebec education minister skewered for suggesting teachers don’t deserve the same pay hike as MNAsQuebec education minister skewered for suggesting teachers don’t deserve the same pay hike as MNAs

May 20, 2023| 4:08 am

Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville is facing fierce criticism for comments he made about the relative worth of teachers’ work in a video interview Monday with the editorial team at Le Devoir. Political columnist Michel David asked Drainville about negotiations with the province’s teachers, who have been offered a nine per cent increase over five years. David asked why teachers shouldn’t be paid as much as they are in Ontario or elsewhere in Canada, given that the Coalition Avenir Québec government has tabled a bill to grant MNAs a 30 per cent raise, which would make them the highest-paid members…

Serbia’s education minister resigned in the wake of deadly mass shootings, including at primary schoolSerbia’s education minister resigned in the wake of deadly mass shootings, including at primary school

May 10, 2023| 3:23 am

Serbia’s education minister submitted his resignation Sunday following two mass shootings, one of them at a primary school, that left 17 people dead, while the European country’s government urged citizens to turn in all unregistered weapons or run the risk of a prison sentence. Education Minister Branko Ruzic is the first Serbian official to resign over the shootings despite widespread calls for more senior officials to step down in the wake of the back-to-back bloodshed. Ruzic cited the “catastrophic tragedy that has engulfed our country” in explaining his decision. Soon after the attack at the school in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital,…