By Angela Brown

Education Minister hears about successes, challenges during visit

Jun 27, 2018 | 12:00 PM

Saskatchewan’s Education Minister Gordon Wyant was in North Battleford Tuesday, meeting with Light of Christ Catholic School Division and visiting their elementary schools.

Wyant also visited Living Sky School Division’s schools the previous week.

“One of the things I committed to when I became the minister was to make sure there is a good engagement with partners in the sector, and that includes school boards,” Wyant said. “We wanted to make sure we got out to as many school divisions as we could while the kids were still in school.”

Wyant has been traveling around the province recently, he said, meeting with school boards and trustees, and attended the St. Mary School kindergarten graduation in North Battleford Tuesday.

“We’re here to talk to teachers, talk to school board trustees, and interact with some kids in their schools,” he said.  

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Wyant heard about some of the challenges and successes school divisions have faced during his tour, including graduation rates and budget constraints.

“We talk about graduation rates, and what we can do to help school divisions improve their graduation rates,” he said. “Those are all important conversations to have so I am more informed when I go back and start having budget deliberations.”

Light of Christ Director of Education Cory Rideout said he appreciated Wyant’s visit, adding it’s important for elected officials to spend time in schools.

“I’ve commented to him already, he’s doing the things that need to be done, getting out to the schools,” Rideout said. “These school tours are invaluable, not only for local boards of education, but also for the Ministry of Education in terms of knowing what’s really happening out there in the different school divisions around the province.”

Rideout said the division also discussed the mental health issues youths across the Battlefords have been facing this year during a meeting with Wyant. 

“We talked about the need for all the human services ministries to come together and support this area. Not only this area, but mental health concerns for all of our youth throughout Saskatchewan,” he added. “That was the biggest challenge we talked about today.” 

On a more positive note, Rideout said Light of Christ’s graduation rates are high, and the division’s First Nation student graduation rates are also “markedly higher” than the provincial average. He added the division’s reading, writing and math results for Grade 3 students also look “fantastic.”

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW