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Two Saskatoon businesses supporting public education are appealing to the Saskatchewan government to take steps to improve the education system.
Published May 8, 2024 • Last updated 8 hours ago • Reading time 3 minutes
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This illustrated photo shows a student taking a multiple choice exam. Photo credit: smolaw11 /Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Born and raised in Saskatchewan, we grew up with a prairie perspective on our communities and the importance of giving back and doing all we can to make our province the best it can be.
We moved to Asia for a number of years, but because of our roots and family ties to the prairie, we returned to Saskatoon to raise our family. Upon returning home, I quickly discovered that Saskatchewan's education and outcomes were not the best in Canada, but unfortunately were at or near the bottom.
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In 2022, Saskatchewan ranked near the bottom of all provinces in reading, writing and math performance on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), according to the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education.
According to the report, 63 per cent of Regina Public School students (36.5 per cent of Indigenous students) and 66 per cent of Saskatoon Public School students were reading at appropriate grade level by Grade 3 in 2021. (36.7 per cent of Indigenous students). Saskatchewan Audit Report and 2020-2021 Saskatoon Public Schools Annual Report.
According to the American Education Survey, if children are not reading at grade level by third grade, they are a quarter less likely to graduate from high school, and if they are poor, they are 13 times less likely to graduate from high school. Research has confirmed that it is one of the Association.
Saskatoon's high school three-year (part-time) graduation rate was 39 per cent for Indigenous students compared to 85 per cent for non-Indigenous students, and Regina's graduation rate was 46 per cent for Indigenous students compared to 87 per cent for non-Indigenous students. It is a percentage. -Indigenous students, according to the Saskatoon and Regina Public Schools 2022-2023 annual report.
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According to Statistics Canada's 2018/2019 and 2012 surveys, Saskatchewan ranks among the provinces with the highest incarceration rates and lowest adult literacy rates in the country.
According to MacLean's Magazine in 2013, Saskatchewan had by far the lowest percentage of people with university degrees at 37%, compared to the national average of 47%.
Saskatchewan ranks in the bottom half of Canadian provinces in per-student funding, according to the Fraser Institute.
Over the past decade, Saskatchewan public schools have seen operating budgets increase by 12 per cent, while inflation has increased by 22 per cent, according to the Government of Saskatchewan and the Consumer Price Index.
Ontario, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec have class size limits to address the complexity. These provinces outperformed Saskatchewan in all three areas of the PISA exam: literacy, science, and mathematics. Saskatchewan does not have class size limits for any grade level, which do not adequately address class complexity.
As a state, we should aim higher in many of these categories, not at the bottom. Education is an investment in our state's children, who are the future of our state.
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All children deserve a great education, and research shows that the earlier children start reading, the more likely they are to become literate, graduate, and become productive members of their communities. We are the only state without full-day kindergarten in vulnerable urban neighborhoods.
We have been a strong partner of Saskatoon Public Schools for more than a decade and are one of the largest private investors in primary public education in the province.
We believe that many of the social problems we currently face are directly related to our state's lack of education funding. Classroom size and complexity are important issues that need to be addressed early on to improve the classroom experience for everyone.
States need to view early education as an investment rather than a cost center.
For starters, starting in the fall of 2024, the provincial government will invest in full-day kindergarten in Saskatchewan's major cities to get all children reading as soon as possible and give them the best chance of graduating from high school. I request it.
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Pat Boot and Katherine Wienke are Saskatoon businessmen who want the best for Saskatchewan's children.
Recommendations from the editorial department
Phil Tank: Sask.Teachers complained about class size and complexity in 2020
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