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NLIS 11
March 22, 2001
(Education)

 

218 teaching units being added back into system

Despite the continued four per cent annual decline in the number of students in the K-12 system, and despite the fact that even the new method of allocating teachers instituted last year as a result of ministerial panel recommendations indicated a reduction of 218 teaching units in the 2001-2002 school year, for the first time ever, the Department of Education is retaining its entire complement of teachers.

"There could be no clearer evidence that government is wholeheartedly committed to education than the fact we are maintaining our full complement of teaching staff. All indications pointed to reducing the numbers of teachers in the system, however, we chose to invest approximately $11 million to retain our entire complement of teachers as part of our continued efforts for constant improvement in our education system," said Education Minister Judy Foote.

This province�s pupil-teacher ratio of one teacher to every 13.9 students continues to stand as the best in the country. The Canadian average in the most recently published 1997-1998 data was 16 students for every teacher. The ratio for our Atlantic counterparts ranged from 16.9 to 17.3 students for every teacher. In September 2001, the ratio in this province will further improve to approximately 13.3 students for every teacher.

The total investment in teaching services for September 2001 will exceed $365 million, bringing the total salaries budget for teaching services to nearly 70 per cent of the total education budget.

Media contact: Andrea Maunder, Communications, (709) 729-0048.

2001 03 22                    3:15 p.m.


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