ST..JOHNS (CBC) - Newfoundland and Labrador's minister of education says more small schools will have to put several grades in a single classroom as student populations decline.

Joan Burke said the practice of multi-grading will become more common, even though the provincial government has committed to keep more teachers in the school system.

Burke said decades of low birth rates and a loss of population in rural areas have meant sharp drops in student enrolment, especially in rural and remote areas.

"We have, as I indicated, 11,655 less students over a four-year period, so we have to make sure that we allocate resources in a fair manner," Burke told the legislature Wednesday.

"There will be times when some schools, based on numbers, will not offer certain grades because there are no students coming in. There will be times when the numbers are to a point that there will be an introduction of multi-grading," she said.

"That is a reality that we are dealing with in Newfoundland and Labrador."

The Opposition Liberals have been critical of teacher allocations this week, noting that even though no teachers will lose their jobs, some smaller schools are using teaching "units" that could mean fewer programs and services.

Liberal Leader Yvonne Jones said a dozen schools in coastal Labrador are losing 18 teaching positions, which in some cases will force multiple grades to cram into a single classroom.

"In one case, there is no choice but to multigrade a class of K-6 in one classroom," she said. Burke said Thursday, though, that the number of lost positions in Labrador could be less.

"I'm actually seeing numbers less than 10," Burke said.

"I don't want to put a specific number to it at this point in time because I know there is still a number of processes so the numbers are not final at this point."

Diane Poole, a parent in the coastal Labrador community of St. Lewis, said the mixed messages of the last few days have been confusing.

"They come along telling us we're going to lose one unit and then the very next week, get on the radio and say that nothing is finalized," she said.

Burke said some additional teaching positions in Labrador could be generated through funding for aboriginal communities. However, Poole said, her community would not qualify for such help.

LIKE IT?  LET OTHERS KNOW