Two advisors have wrapped up province-wide meetings and handed over their findings to the education sector and the Government of Saskatchewan.
Former Saskatchewan RCMP Chief Superintendent Russ Mirasty and Patricia Prowse of Saskatoon took part in 120 forums involving nearly 1000 students, parents and teachers from provincial and First Nations schools.
Mirasty says at each forum , three main questions were asked.
“What is working well for you in education, what are some of the barriers that get in the way of students achieving their best, and third of course after listening to that, what needs to change to make it better for students around the province”.
Visits to First Nations were part of the process and Mirasty says the discrepancy in funding for reserve schools was a topic which repeatedly came up.
“That was talked about a lot and it’s impact, the impact it has on the ability of those schools to provide what’s needed, and even the younger students recognize that so it wasn’t just an administrator saying our funding levels aren’t the same”.
A discussion guide and toolkit available to the public includes a summary of what was heard and the themes that emerged during the engagement process.