ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — While the plan is still being developed, Education Minister Brian Warr says the government intends to have all students physically back in school in September.
So far,there is no official plan ready to be made public and discussed. All Warr announced on Monday was the intention to make a plan to get students back in their seats in September.
“Our goal here is to make sure that we have students back in class. That’s our goal. That’s what we’re working towards,” said Warr.
“We want to make sure that we have a plan. If part of it has to be done virtually, we’ll have a plan in place. We’re going to have the resources in place. We want to be able to provide the best educational outcomes that we expect, the best educational outcomes that we possibly can proceed with.”
Warr says the intention is to have a plan together by the end of June.
In order to accomplish that, there are concerns about school busing, access to materials such as laptops and tablets, and the potential installation of modular classrooms to help physical-distancing measures in schools, not to mention provincial upgrades to internet access in areas without reliable access.
Warr says there’s no estimate so far just how much more the 2020-21 school year could cost versus the 2019-20 school year.
“I can’t provide that particular figure here, but we’re committed as a government to getting our children back in schools where they belong. These are discussions going forward,” he said.
Progressive Conservative education critic Craig Pardy says the fact there’s no plan already in place is troubling.
“I fully expected by this time we would know a portion of what September would look like. When I look at the plan, there is no plan, other than the schools being open,” said Pardy.
“You would hope, by the end of June, to have a plan. That seems like a very frivolous timeline. We need a plan, we need to know what a portion of the plan looks like, then we can add input into that plan and see if it can be tweaked for the betterment of the education system.”
New Democratic Party education critic Jim Dinn says the concerns about equitable access to the internet need to be addressed.
“That’s a huge concern. Even within some parts of the city that’s proving a challenge. It’s not about internet connections, it’s about who has the internet package. Not everyone can afford FibreOp, or they might not be on a data package,” said Dinn.
“How do you level the playing field? What are the resources that are going to be out there for parents and teachers alike?”
Twitter: @DavidMaherNL
