NLIS 7
May 16, 2001
(Education)

Provincial Teacher Job Fair

I rise today to inform my honourable colleagues of the Department of Education�s commitment to maintaining a highly qualified teacher work force in every school district throughout the province. This year, for the first time, the Department of Education, along with Memorial University, the Newfoundland and Labrador Teacher�s Association, the Newfoundland and Labrador School Boards Association, and school districts has organized a provincial teacher recruitment fair. This initiative stems from recommendations of the Ministerial Panel on Educational Delivery in the Classroom. The job fair will take place today and tomorrow at the St. John�s campus of Memorial University.

The teacher job fair is intended to provide districts with an opportunity to profile job opportunities and related information for students graduating from Memorial, and any other interested teachers or individuals considering entry into the profession. Each school district, the NLTA, Memorial�s Faculty of Education and the Department of Education will host information booths. School districts will undertake presentations and interviews during the job fair.

This provincial teacher job fair is only one of several initiatives being planned to address teacher recruitment in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Recognizing the challenge of ensuring qualified instruction in classrooms in coastal Labrador, government has allocated a $5,000 financial supplement to teachers working in this area. This is in addition to the Labrador allowance already being received by these teachers.

In response to a recommendation of the Ministerial Panel Report on Educational Delivery in the Classroom, the Department of Education has established a provincial advisory group on teacher training, supply, and demand. This advisory group has membership from the Department of Education, Memorial University, school districts, the NLTA, and School Boards Association. The group is developing an action plan to address the current and anticipated situation with teacher supply and demand. In addition to the provincial teacher job fair, which we anticipate will become an annual event, the advisory group is working on initiatives to attract students into the Faculty of Education from other faculties at Memorial University, particularly in areas of French, physics, chemistry, math, and special education.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education, through the Council of Ministers of Education, is collaborating with other departments of education across Canada to develop strategies that will ensure a constant supply of highly qualified teachers in all subject areas across the country.

This represents a significant commitment to the children and teachers of our province. Initiatives in the area of teacher supply and demand represent another clear example of this government�s willingness to collaborate fully with other partners in education to maintain a first class system of education for our children.

2001 05 16           2:35 p.m.