Raise the Bar Report: Factual Errors - Question Period
MS. CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development. The much-maligned Raise the Bar report contains a number of factual errors which have been widely reported on. Notwithstanding the minister and the Premier's public commitments to the implementation of the results of the Commission on Inclusive Education, which we have not yet seen, the key provision of the current education guaranteeing inclusive education was not included in an effort to plow forward with these changes.
Mr. Speaker, what reassurance can the minister possibly provide to Nova Scotians that additional mistakes have not been made?
HON. ZACH CHURCHILL » : Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear, it's not fair to suggest that a model of inclusion was not included in this bill. As I've informed the member, Clause 61(a), "promote excellence in education and the achievement of all students . . .", so that is implicit, the model of inclusion is implicit in the language of this bill. "All" means every single child, each and every one of them.
We do understand that the implicit language has created concern for families and that there is a desire to have explicit reference to inclusion. That's why we are moving forward with an amendment to the legislation, to accommodate that desire.
MS. CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, advocates are crying foul and implicit isn't good enough. All day yesterday we heard from parents, teachers and others, many in tears, who brought forward a list of issues in our education system, both systemic and specific, that are crying out for urgent attention - more transparency in the school review process, more school psychologists, more supports for students learning English as an additional language, and more responsiveness for the needs of diverse learners.
Had the government brought forward a proposal to address any of these issues in our classrooms and schools and school system, I feel confident they would have been met with support from all Parties in this House.
Mr. Speaker, why is the minister insisting on pushing forward these reforms, the reforms that don't deal with any of these issues in the Glaze report, when they do nothing to meet our students' most urgent needs?
MR. CHURCHILL « » : In fact, more resources into the classroom, better education for rural students, a better capital planning process, all those things the member referenced are in the Raise the Bar report and are recommendations that have come forward from Dr. Glaze herself. People miss the report in its entirety because people have been focused on controversial recommendations around a college, around administrators coming out of the union. But despite those two things, which we actually believe are important objectives to move towards, in fact this report has helped us chart a course for many of the issues that member brought up.
Furthermore, we're moving forward with the report on inclusive education which will be coming out at the end of March. The fact is that having a more streamlined administrative model that is unified, from one part of this province to the other, will help ensure the smooth transition to that new model as well.
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