Saskatchewan educational stakeholders are in the process of designing a new regulatory body which will provide certification and discipline for teachers.
An eight-person transition committee has been appointed to oversee the process including representation from two Aboriginal groups – the First Nations Directors of Education and Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.
Ministry of Education assistant deputy minister Clint Repski says it is not really appropriate that the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation both lobby on behalf of and discipline teachers.
“Right now you’ve got an organization who is responsible for both advocacy and discipline and really in this day and age that’s not appropriate and that’s not in the best interests of the public,” he says.
Repski adds the transition committee will design what exactly the regulatory body will look like.
“The reason why we have this transition committee set up is so that we can determine that over the course of the next year and we are going to be getting input from the public, teachers, parents to make sure we have the right governance structure.”
Keith Frame will represent the First Nations Directors of Education on the transition committee and Gary Hurton will represent the FSIN.
Other members of the committee include Repski, Gwen Dueck and Fay Elke of the STF, Kyle McIntyre of the League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents; Elizabeth Perrault of the Saskatchewan School Boards Association and Derwyn Crozier as a member of the public.
The province has been in discussions with these groups and the universities of Saskatchewan and Regina since November 2013 about designing a regulatory body to regulate teachers.
The regulatory body is expected to be up and running by fall 2015.