NORTHEAST — As the province develops a new 10-year education sector strategic plan, it invited the North East School Division and other stakeholders to a summit to give input.
The current plan, which ends in June 2021, focused on improving students’ reading, writing and arithmetic skills, as well as increase graduation rates, especially for First Nations/Métis students.
“It’s encouraging that we’re having a board consultation with all the stakeholders that have interest in education to renew a strategic plan going forward,” said Don Rempel, the division's director of education.
The school division would like to see the province continue its focus in two areas.
“We’d like to see a continued focus in better serving Métis and First Nations students in the province, so that’s number one,” Rempel said. “Number two would be a high graduation rate with lots of rigour in the curriculum so students feel they’re engaged as they go through the K-12 system and they feel that the education they’re receiving will prepare them for the future.”
The planning committee members at the summit included representatives from the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Association of School Business Officials, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the Métis Nation – Saskatchewan/Gabriel Dumont Institute, and the Office of the Treaty Commissioner.
“We know that we need to work together to ensure each student reaches their full potential and is ready for a 21st century workforce and I am encouraged to see our education sector partners come together to plan and participate in this summit,” said Gordon Wyant, the education minister.
“This was a very worthy endeavour that the ministry undertook to have this consultation and we look forward to the work going forward to make our education system stronger in the province,” Rempel said.
