[GB] The current BC education crisis
Guest blogger: Gabriel Yiu, former BC NDP candidate for Vancouver Fraserview
To clearly stand out a guest blogger entry, all such headlines will begin with [GB]
I have two children. They both study in the public schools in our neighborhood. My elder daughter joined the school music band when she was at grade 5. She plays the trumpet. After getting into high school, she is still actively participating in the school band. The band goes on field trips and performs in different places every year.
My son is now at grade 4. Not long ago, my wife had a discussion with him about joining the school music band and the kind of musical instrument he would like to learn to play. It’s unfortunate that he might not get the same chance to get a music education like my daughter.
A few days ago, I bumped into the PAC chair of my son’s school. She looked sad and frustrated. She said due to the shortfall of education funding, the music band at my son’s school (as well as other schools) would have to be disbanded.
I must stress that when students join the school band, they’re responsible for buying or renting their musical instruments, and when they travel to perform in other places, the family has to pay for transportation and accommodation. The school band program doesn’t get much funding from the school board. Nevertheless, if the program is scrapped, it’s a big learning loss to our children.
Learning music is not just an after-school time-consuming hobby. Music is not only good for one’s soul, it’s also an important learning tool. When a group of students play music together, they acquire the skills of social communication, coordination, interaction and mutual support. This group experience is especially crucial when the youth in today’s world spend a great deal of their time alone on the internet and computer games.
Experts point out that music plays an important function in education. It is a kind of training in concentration, counting, listening, coordination and cooperation. Music also promotes a better understanding of languages, improves the ability to recall information, and creates an environment more conducive to learning in other areas.
A valuable educational program that doesn’t cost much has to be disbanded. No wonder parents are frustrated and angry. In the past week, thousands of parents, students and educators rallied against the shortfall of education funding and they condemned the Liberal government which caused the chaos.
The fact is, school music band is merely one of the items that would be cut in our school. If such a basic school program is cut, think how bad the funding situation is! ESL, special needs education, the library, youth counseling… and even the number of school days would be cut.
I have to say that the Liberal government is responsible for this mess. They have spent recklessly. They paid millions buying Olympic tickets for Liberal officials and their guests. Gordon Campbell’s projects are all grand schemes in hundreds of millions, and the estimates or budgets invariably overrun. The Vancouver Convention Centre expansion is a $300-400 million overrun. The BC Place retractable roof had an overrun of $200 million after the election and its work has not even started yet! Currently, the operating deficit for the Vancouver Convention Centre is tens of millions of dollars a year (whereas the Vancouver School Board funding shortfall is $18 million).
Several days ago the BC government wanted to make an announcement that they’re sending the Site C project for environment assessment. The Liberal press conference chartered five airplanes to fly officials, their cheering team and the media all the way to Peace River Valley to make the announcement. Simply to tell people that the project is to be assessed.
Whether our economy is good or in recession, the Liberal government has not provided sufficient funding for education. Every time when the funding formula is changed, it results in a cut in funding to school boards. What is even worse is that the Liberal government makes all sorts of decisions that will increase the cost of the school boards, like wage increases, MSP increases, carbon emission charge, hydro, etc. All these worsen the funding situation of the school boards.
The Liberal government say every year that they’re providing record-breaking funding for education but the statement is simply meaningless. In a capitalistic society, due to inflation and the increase of wages and expenses, if the education funding remains in the status quo or below inflation, it would mean the school board cannot maintain the same services as the previous year. In the past decade, the Liberals not only did not provide funding that kept pace with inflation, but they added many funding burdens. More ridiculous still, when things deteriorate to the current mess, the education minister tries to pass the buck and put the blame on the Vancouver School Board chair.
Although provincial government funding falls behind inflation, what they would get from taxpayers in various forms of taxes would see hikes way above the inflation rate. According to the BC budget released earlier, the provincial government is expecting to get more taxes from the public. Various tax revenues this year are expected to see a big jump: personal income tax revenue +6%, sales tax revenue (PST/HST) +9%, carbon tax revenue +34%, MSP +6%, liquor tax revenue +12%… whereas the funding for the Education Ministry has only added 1%.
The shortchanging of our education is totally unacceptable and the Liberals should be held responsible for the mess.
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Tags: BC, education, Gabriel Yiu, Guest BloggersRelated posts
Short URL: http://www.chineseinvancouver.ca/?p=10635
The REAL problem is 92% or 93% of all public school’s fundings go to teachers’ salaries and benefits.
This is a structural problem. And what’s the quality of products we get from these ultra high-paid professionals?
I also want to know why they always cut the ESL?
Why not cut the other regular classes like International Languages
(French, Italian, German, Korean, Punjabi), Physical Education, Fine Arts (Drama and Visual Arts), Applied Skills (Home Economics, Technology Education–Metal Fabrication and Machining, Drafting and Design, Automotive Technology)
Mr Yu made a very good point in that why is it that the Liberal government can magically come up with billions for the Olympics ( a flop) with paid professional musicians yet the Liberal govenment can’t come up with a simple $18 million for the most important foundation of our future, our children
ChinkTalk,
How about they raise the HST to 15% in B.C.? THEN there will be money for all that … typical Canadian foul-up.