by Nash Alonto
Nov. 10, 2023
Charlottetown-Victoria Park MLA Karla Bernard has called for more support for teachers in Prince Edward Island during today's Question Period at the Legislative Assembly.
Teachers on the Island are doing terrific work despite the circumstances they are in, Bernard said. However, she also noted that in recent years, teachers’ mental health and well-being have started to decline.
Citing a recent members’ survey by the P.E.I. Teachers’ Federation, Bernard said that 78 per cent of teachers on P.E.I. have experienced burnout.
“This is unacceptable,“ she said.
Education and Early Years Minister Natalie Jameson said she understood teachers’ concerns and has since spoken about them with the Public School Board (PSB) and the Commission scolaire de langue française (CSLF), such as filling more positions within both school boards.
“Certainly, the teaching profession is a challenging career, but we recognize the importance of this career and the importance of it for our young people,“ Jameson said.
The Department of Education and Early Years has added 150 more positions into the Island’s education system. Jameson hopes it will ease some concerns that teachers have.
“It is a challenging time. They’ve just underwent, I mean, two years, three years, COVID, Fiona. These are circumstances that we could have never, ever planned for,“ she said.
Bernard, however, said it goes beyond just filling new teacher positions, and it is the systemic problems that needed to be addressed.
“The quality of the education our teachers deliver is directly linked to the support they receive. I believe our students deserve the highest quality education,“ she said.
One of the major stressors for teachers Bernard also mentioned was large class sizes and lack of resources.
“Classrooms are filled with diverse learners, and teachers are planning and delivering multiple lessons every day just to meet the students where they are. Teachers are also struggling with greater numbers of students engaging in violent or disruptive behaviour. Teachers don’t feel supported and it is not a supportive learning environment for students,“ she said.
Jameson responded by saying they have included 100 more education assistants (EAs), but the PSB and the CSLF said they needed more, so she went back to the Treasury Board and they approved the addition of 50 more EAs to support classrooms.
“I’ve always told our school system that I am fighting for them. I do believe that this government firmly believes that education is the best investment that this government can make,“ she said.
“I don’t want to discount, however, the concerns that are being raised, and I’m seeing it first-hand as I’m visiting schools across the province. There are more challenging behaviours and needs that we are trying to address.“
While Bernard mentioned that adding additional resources is crucial, she also said P.E.I. is “playing catch-up“ with other provinces, noting the additional investments in education should also match the population, especially with the influx of newcomers into the Island.
“As our population hits record numbers, so does the number of students, and so does the complexity of their needs. This government has failed in many areas to keep up with our growing population, and education is no exception. We need investments that match student population growth and complexity,“ she said.
Jameson, however, said the King government has made more investments in education than any previous government. She said individuals within her department are working with the P.E.I. Population Strategy Committee in tackling the matter.
Jameson also said the province is piloting a new eight-week steps program to help integrate newcomers into the Island’s education system. As of writing, they’re implementing it at three schools on the Island: Lucy Maud Montgomery Elementary School, West Royalty Elementary School, and Stonepark Intermediate School.
“We’d love to roll this out schoolwide next year,“ she said.
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