Support for Teachers

For Immediate Release. MHA, St. John's North  noted the annual arrival of Education Week with congratulations for the province's teachers, staff and students and a demand for government to make our students' school experiences even better. "I am delighted that the Minister will be at a St. John's school this morning to launch a week dedicated to celebrating education, particularly as the theme this year is tech knowledge-tech savoir. Technology is certainly an increasingly vital part of every classroom, and of every student's life.

The MHA had some words of advice for the Minister. "It's important to keep in mind that education of children does not happen in a vacuum. I think there are no better teachers anywhere than in our province, but I still hear from them that they feel a lack of support from government. I urge the government to look closely at the Newfoundland-Labrador Teachers Association's pre-budget submission. The NLTA represents the people on the front lines of education" he said. Our schools need more teachers, along with the student assistants and other professionals who deliver student support services and all those people need ongoing training and professional development in this rapidly-changing world.
 
"There are still critical areas needing attention, and we must allocate fiscal resources so we can hire teachers to address those needs. Finally, in a week time, celebrating technology in education, we have to pay more than lip service to the need for teacher professional development and inservice on integrating technology into teaching and learning. All the technological advancements in the world will not help our students if teachers are not fully prepared to help them learn".