November 22, 1999
(Education)

The following statement was issued today by Judy Foote, Minister of Education. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

I rise to inform my honourable colleagues on the status of the activities of the Ministerial Panel on Educational Delivery in the Classroom

The honourable premier and I announced the establishment of the ministerial panel in August of this year. The panel is co-chaired by Doctors Ron Sparkes and Len Williams, esteemed professionals in the field of education. The role of the panel is to review curriculum and supports to the K-12 education system and make recommendations as to teacher allocations throughout the province and the breadth and depth of the province's curriculum.

When government initiated education reform in the mid-1990s our focus was on governance and bringing efficiencies to the administration of our school system. This has been achieved with the establishment of 11 elected school boards from 27 denominational boards. Now our focus is on the classroom.

The panel has been mandated to review how teachers are allocated and how they are deployed throughout the system. The panel also will be looking at the course offerings in the K-12 system to ensure a balanced

program for our students, no matter where they live in the province B be it in a rural community or an urban centre.

The Ministerial Panel on Educational Delivery in the Classroom has conducted extensive consultations to date with a wide variety of interested groups and individuals across the province.

Consultations have been held with students, school teachers, councils and boards and community groups on the Burin Peninsula, in Clarenville, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Labrador, Flower's Cove, St. John's and Spaniard's Bay.

In addition, meetings have been held with about 30 other interest groups and individuals including the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association staff and executive, a distance education group, the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils, the MUN Telemedicine/Telelearning Centre, and the Newfoundland and Labrador School Boards Association.

The panel is hearing a great deal of opinion and many concrete ideas to ensure a high quality education system in our province in the next millennium while recognizing the challenges of declining student enrolment and the vast geographic dispersement of our population.

The establishment of this ministerial panel is a clear indication that the government of this province is listening to those concerned with education in our province. We are committed to doing everything possible to ensure that all children in this province, regardless of where they live, have access to a balanced and quality education.

I look forward to the final report of the ministerial panel which is due on February 28, 2000, and the commencement of the implementation of the panel's recommendations in the 2000/2001 school year.

1999 11 22                                     2:50 p.m.