NDP Leader Carla Beck said the Government of Saskatchewan has failed to meaningfully address growing demand for services like health care and education. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

By Daniel Reech - CKOM News

Education

Sask. NDP slams government over decline in teaching positions

Jan 8, 2025 | 11:19 AM

Student enrolment has steadily increased over the past five years, and the Saskatchewan NDP is raising the alarm over the lack of teachers to accommodate the growing number of students.

Citing numbers from the provincial government, the NDP said the total number of classroom and distance-learning teachers in the province dropped by about 86 positions between 2020 and the 2024-25 school year.

The total number of teachers assigned in Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions decreased from 9,882 in 2020-21 to about 9,795.7 in 2024-25.

Meanwhile, enrolment in Saskatchewan schools has increased from 184,472 in 2020-21 to 200,066 in 2024-25.

On Tuesday, Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck said the situation is unacceptable.

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Beck said the government hasn’t presented a plan to handle population increases when it comes to maintaining services like health care and education, and she hopes to see significant investments into schools included in the upcoming provincial budget.

“What won’t work, and what we’ve seen from the Sask. Party over the last decade, has been the same old, tired talking points of record investment in education,” she said.

“These numbers lay bare the reality of the inadequate funding that this Sask. Party government has placed in education.”

Beck said the provincial government has moved Saskatchewan from first place to tenth place in per-student funding among Canadian provinces.

“Our kids get one chance at this,” said NDP education critic Matt Love.

NDP education critic Matt Love echoed Beck’s comments on Tuesday, saying it’s crucial that schools provide the support kids need to succeed. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)

“We’ve got one chance to get it right when a child enters school to provide the support that they need to succeed in school so they have a chance to succeed beyond school.”

The Government of Saskatchewan maintained that it is committed to a renewed focus on education, which Premier Scott Moe emphasized after the recent provincial election.

“This renewed focus will look to ease the pressure and complexities in our classrooms through initiatives like the expansion of the Specialized Support Classrooms,” the provincial government said in a statement.

“Saskatchewan continues to spend the most per-capita among provinces, this past year saw an increase to the education budget of 8.8% for a total of $2.2 billion in school operating funding. This has allowed for over 200 new teachers to be added to the classroom for the current school year.”

The government also noted that it has increased school operating funding by 57 per cent – a $808 million boost – since 2007, while enrolment has increased by 19 per cent over the same time period.