New part-time B.Ed. program aims to tackle looming rural teacher shortage
A new part-time bachelor of education program aimed at people with full-time jobs in other fields will begin in September, part of an effort to address a looming teacher shortage in rural Nova Scotia.
More than 200 people have already expressed interest in the program being offered by St. Francis Xavier University and the Chignecto Central Regional Centre for Education. The goal is to recruit people who live in rural communities that will want to stay and teach there after completing their B.Ed.
"We had a conversation recently identifying the fact that there are specific needs in terms of future teachers and a desire to find a way to help those aspiring teachers who can't commit to a two-year full-time program," said Gary Adams, regional executive director for Chignecto Central.
The regional centre is already having trouble finding substitutes. In February, for instance, 10 of its schools could not find substitutes to fill in for absent teachers between 20 and 47 per cent of the time.
The target demographic of the program is mature students who might have full-time jobs and families. Class times will be weekends and some evenings over a three-year period.
Everyone from engineers to dietitians have expressed interest in applying, according to Jeff Orr, dean of faculty of the St. FX education department.
"The breadth and diversity of the experiences and interests that they bring are just astounding and remarkable."
The idea of having people teach who already have a career excites him. Orr said they will likely bring a richness to the classroom that's different from B.Ed. graduates who start teaching right out of university.
Where there's a need
One of the priorities is to have more racially and culturally diverse teachers in Chignecto Central schools. Adams said recruiting African-Nova Scotian and Mi'kmaq participants to the B.Ed. program is important to make sure Chignecto Central is representing the communities it serves.
"So that when students walk into the building they have that sense of belonging and connectedness."
There is also a particularly high need for substitute elementary school teachers and secondary school teachers in math, physical education, fine arts, science, French and family studies, said Orr.
The location of the course will most likely be Truro, but that could change. If Truro is far from where the majority of successful applicants live, the program can be moved closer to where the students live.
The admission process will begin in May. Adams said about 25 applicants will be accepted and they could take another round of applicants at a later date.