NDP leader raising concerns and says funding is necessary for EAL supports in schools
After being contacted by teachers, provincial NDP Leader Jim Dinn is raising concerns on the abrupt loss of software for English Additional Language (EAL) programs in the school system.
Dinn says that this is the second year in a row that the Department of Education has reached out to EAL teachers saying that they will be losing key software programs that allow them to do their job and help students whose first language isn’t English. The Department reinstated the funding, only after being contacted by media. He says a permanent solution is needed, and that this is not the way the Department should be resolving issues.
“This is the second year that I have had teachers coming to me expressing their frustration with being told by the Department that they will be losing their key resources due to funding,” said Dinn. “The issue was remedied last year, and I assumed that the solution would have been permanent. That wasn’t the case. I have to question if problems like these keep coming up due to the integration of the school board into the department.”
“EAL in our schools is so important. As a teacher, I saw the work they did in our schools to ensure that students receive the education they need to thrive in our education system,” said Dinn. “We have children in our school systems who speak multiple languages, some of them have gaps in their education, some have experienced trauma, and the EAL program gives them the supports they need to ensure they succeed.”
“When you are telling teachers that they shouldn’t expect to do their job the same as they have done it in the past, that to me is a conscious decision to cut this funding, not that it was a mistake,” Dinn continued. “Teachers, parents, and students deserve the respect from government that this funding is in place so that all students receive the quality education they deserve.”
Dinn says he hopes the current government will make funding permanent for EAL supports, and that they will put the education of our children as a top priority.