Ghiz government accused by Opposition parties of ignoring report
Opposition parties in Prince Edward Island are accusing the Ghiz government of ignoring a 2009 report looking at teaching positions and class size in Island schools.
The report was written by a former director in the department of education, and obtained by CBC News through a Freedom of Information request.
It called on government to freeze the number of teaching positions for six years, rather than make cuts. It suggested this would reduce class size and improve the education system.
The report was never made public.
Today Progressive Conservative Party leader Steven Myers expressed concern the government shelved the report and actually went on to cut 106 teaching positions over three years.
The Opposition leader says ultimately all Islanders will pay the price.
“I think the report said what we had been saying all along,” he said. “Don't get rid of teachers, use them in the system, use them to reduce the class sizes, use them to increase time on task for students, and use them to help them improve the education system.”
Myers said it’s unfortunate the government went against the report’s recommendations.
“Certainly the results out there that we're seeing are reflective of that and it's unfortunate because it's the students at the end of the day who end up hurting because of it,” he said.
Mike Redmond, Leader of the P.E.I. New Democrats said the two reports by Gar Andrew, a former director in the Department of Education, were very clear on how the government should proceed.
“Mr. Andrew made very specific recommendations in 2004 to improve the student/teacher ratio and the allocation of teacher specialist positions in Island schools,” Redmond said.
“The Ghiz government misled voters by pledging in the 2011 election to maintain existing teacher numbers, presumably based on suggestions in the second report by Gar Andrew,” said Redmond. “But they also tried to make certain that the full report would never see the light of day."
Education Minister Alan McIsaac said the cuts were made for financial reasons, and there are other ways to improve student learning, rather than adding more teachers.
