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VICTORIA – The Province has issued formal invitations to five education partner groups to attend the first meeting of the Learning Roundtable on Oct. 24, Education Minister Shirley Bond said today.
“I look forward to talking about class size and other important education issues with teachers, parents, trustees, superintendents, principals and vice-principals,” said Bond. “At the first meeting of the new Learning Roundtable, stakeholders will develop the terms of reference and a schedule detailing the structure and frequency of meetings.”
Premier Gordon Campbell announced yesterday the date of the first meeting of the new Learning Roundtable. The roundtable is a forum to discuss class size, class composition and other issues related to learning conditions in the public school system.
Bond has invited two representatives each from the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, the B.C. Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils, the B.C. School Trustees Association, the B.C. School Superintendents Association, and the B.C. Principals’ and Vice-Principals’ Association. The deputy minister of education will also attend, and Bond will chair the meeting.
All partners except the BCTF have agreed to take part in the Learning Roundtable.
“I encourage the B.C. Teachers’ Federation to join their education partners at the first roundtable meeting,” said Bond. “Teachers are a vital component of any discussion about learning conditions, class size and class composition. We all want to give B.C. children the best education possible, and we can achieve that goal by including all of our education partner groups in discussions about our students and our schools.”
Bond brought forward the idea of a roundtable on Oct. 6, after a meeting between Labour Minister Michael de Jong and labour leaders, who spoke of the need for a forum where the BCTF could discuss learning conditions. The Province has also committed to hold an annual Teachers’ Congress to invite classroom teachers and others from across B.C. to communicate directly with the government.
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For an update on teacher negotiations, visit www.mediaroom.gov.bc.ca/teacher_negotiations/.
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Ministry of Education 250 356-5963 |
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Visit the Province's website at www.gov.bc.ca for online information and services. |
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