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Advisors seek feedback on Sask. education system

Oct 28, 2013 | 4:12 PM

The Government of Saskatchewan has appointed two people to lead a province-wide consultation process aimed at improving the education system.

Russ Mirasty, former RCMP assistant commissioner, and Patricia Prowse, superintendent with Saskatoon Public Schools, will travel the province to get feedback from students, teachers, parents and others in the education sector.

Only seven out of every 10 Saskatchewan students will graduate from high school, according to Education Minister Don Morgan. That's among the lowest rates in Canada. The government would like to see that significantly increase by 2020.

“It’s almost reversed with First Nations students,” he said.

“There is no better way to meet the challenges of a growing, vibrant province than by having well-educated students that are ready to participate fully in the workforce.”

Mirasty, from La Ronge, was the first person of First Nations ancestry to lead an RCMP division.

“There is so much opportunity. There is so much happening here in this great province and yet when we look around my own family and relatives, many of them aren’t able to take advantage of it because fundamentally or basically they didn’t get through that first stage of their education,” Mirasty said.

He said his experience in the RCMP with working with communities and developing plans will complement his role as a student first advisor.

Prowse has been an educator for 33 years.

“I really believe that we need to work together to find out what some of the challenges are. To look for those successes that and bring everything together with the priority plan,” she said.

“We do know that we need to attend to some literacy needs in our province and also we need to attend to what’s keeping all of our students from graduating and succeeding.”

Adam Fairbairn, 11, will graduate high school in 2020. The Grade 6 student from St. Marguerite School said he would like to be a Lego designer.

“I don’t know why. It’s just my passion and I like it,” he said, adding he would like to see more hands-on learning in the classroom to help him meet his goal.

“More freehand drawing and computer designing would be nice.”

Fairbairn would also like to see more gym time.

“I see lots of kids not getting enough fitness,” he said.

Fellow classmates Jewelle Lardizabal, who wants to be a volleyball player, and Keely Olafson, who wants to be a soccer player, agreed.

“We need extracurriculars and only Grades 7 and 8 have extracurricular right now so I’d like extracurricular for younger students and more gym time and more fitness for students,” said Olafson.

Mirasty and Prowse are starting the roughly six-month consultation process immediately. They will provide recommendations throughout the process.

Anyone wanting to submit their feedback on the education system can contact the Ministry of Education.

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