Gordon Denny Community School was the location of one of the public engagement sessions. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

Public engagement

Attendance low at public meetings for new 10-year education plan

Apr 18, 2019 | 11:54 AM

The provincial government spends billions of dollars every year funding kindergarten to Grade 12 education in Saskatchewan, but only seven residents of the tri-communities attended public engagement sessions to identify priorities for the 2020 to 2030 education plan.

Five residents attended the session Tuesday at Churchill Community High School, while two were present for the meeting Wednesday at Gordon Denny Community School. The sessions were led by Northern Lights School Division board member Guy Penney, who said there were good discussions despite the low numbers.

“The province is basically seeking some feedback from parents and shareholders in communities around the province to get some insight into what folks think about the direction public education should take over the next five to 10 years,” he said. “There are four key questions associated with this endeavour. They’re designed to get feedback.”

Those four questions were what knowledge, skills and abilities do students need to be prepared for their future life and learning and why are they important, what gets in the way of students’ success and well-being, what is currently working well in the school system, and what needs to change in the school system to prepare students for the future. Penney stated some of the ideas brought up at the Churchill session included the technological world we live in today and the need to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet. There was also talk about how the economy is changing quickly because of the introduction of new technology.

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At Gordon Denny, Steven and Natalie Aldridge, who are both teachers, talked about how there needs to be more cultural sensitivity and tolerance, as well as the fostering healthier self-images. Some of the skills they thought students would need are flexibility, motivation, innovation and problem solving, but added students also need opportunities for success.

“There’s a detachment in the way they see themselves and the way we see them,” Natalie Aldridge said. “It’s kind of more like they couldn’t do it on their first try, so they give up.”

Steven Aldridge noted there needs to be more cultural awareness about Indigenous Peoples across the province.

“We’re immersed in it here, but throughout the province it’s not that way and I think that’s an important part of what the province needs to be focusing on,” he said. “We know this province has a large population of Indigenous Peoples and the whole province is not as culturally-sensitive as La Ronge seems to be.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno