To the Editor:
In recent comments regarding the establishment of a transition committee for teacher regulation, the Minister of Education alludes to the perception of a lack of rigour within current discipline processes for teachers. Mainstream media in our province has characterized teacher regulation as being a secretive process. The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation respectfully disagrees with both of these characterizations and is deeply concerned about the inference they have for teachers.
Saskatchewan students and their parents have consistently expressed confidence in the teaching profession. In a poll of the public contracted by the Federation and conducted by Praxis Analytics in August 2013, teachers rated exceptionally high in public perception about their performance on the whole. The Federation ranked higher in trust to act in the public interest than both the Ministry of Education and Saskatchewan School Boards Association.
In that same survey, there was a positive perception of how the processes work when allegations of professional misconduct are made against teachers. Acknowledging there was room for improvement, the Federation implemented administrative changes in early 2014 to address any perception of conflict of interest and improve public awareness, accessibility and reporting of its existing disciplinary processes, proceedings and outcomes.
The rigour of current Federation processes has been tested in the courts and is overseen by the Minister of Education, who has the sole authority to grant, suspend or cancel a teacher's certificate, and to establish and maintain an electronic register that is accessible to the public respecting the status of each teacher's certificate of qualification and eligibility to teach.
With this in mind, it is unfortunate that the Minister of Education has chosen to perpetuate a myth about perception, rather than promote the potential to strengthen an already robust system.
The Federation has a rich and honoured tradition in advocating for students' interests and representing the province's teachers. We have never been afraid to embrace change and are continuing to do so in good faith with our partners in education.
That conviction was clearly demonstrated in our negotiations with the government to create the Memorandum of Agreement Re: Teacher Regulation in Saskatchewan that was signed in May of this year. It is further evidenced by the Federation's two representatives on the transition committee sharing information about current processes and providing constructive feedback on government planning and legislative drafting.
In the memorandum of agreement, both the government and Federation recognized that the regulation of teachers in Saskatchewan is the shared responsibility of post-secondary institutions, employing school divisions, government and professional organizations.
These entities currently work with students, parents and communities to ensure the integrity of the public education system in Saskatchewan.
This unique collective responsibility is rare among professions and presents many challenges to the transition committee as it fulfils its mandate. Any proposed changes require careful examination of all components of teacher regulation, including education, certification, classification, supervision and evaluation, professional development, and standards and discipline. It is our opinion that focusing on only one or two areas of teacher regulation is an incomplete solution to a still unclear problem.
We find it curious to see how in the current climate there is more conversation regarding how not to proceed with this still evolving process than there is to seek the sort of uniquely Saskatchewan model that has always been the hallmark of public education in this province. Agreed we are not in any great hurry to emulate the situations cited in either British Columbia or Ontario for a multitude of reasons, but we do need to come to a consensus on an effective, efficient model that provides continuing public assurance in the teaching profession, without unnecessarily straining the public purse or labour relations in the province.
The public can be assured that teachers want the best system possible going forward. It would be all too tempting to seek out singular answers at the expense of the strategic, fulsome approach that is required and it is too easy to merely paint the Federation as the scapegoat here, when our partners have an equal opportunity to influence positive change in public education and the teaching profession.
It also belies belief that the Federation or its members would seek to hide or protect any teacher at the expense of students or the profession. When the Federation receives a complaint, we investigate comprehensively while adhering to judicial standards of fairness and due process in what are often emotionally charged situations.
We maintain that ultimately you do not raise the status of a profession by taking it away from the profession. Rather there is surely a critical role for the profession to lead the process and it is with this hope we have engaged in fostering whatever changes may be needed.
Gwen Dueck, Executive Director Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
