Students can’t be legislated into class: board chair
Posted Nov 3, 2010 05:32:10 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The education minister is offering schools a chance to fail students who don’t show up to enough classes.
A pilot project to be launched next fall would deny high school credits to kids who don’t attend at least 80 per cent of class hours.
The Halifax Regional School Board has not yet committed to taking part in that program — and officials suggest it may not be needed.
School board Chair Irvine Carvery says absenteeism just isn’t a “huge problem” in Halifax.
“It’s not so much kids not being in school,” said Carvery. “It’s about children who come to school but are not attending classes. I think that would be our bigger issue.”
Education Minister Marilyn More says a recommendation to raise the legal dropout age to 18 won’t be accepted – and Carvery agrees with that decision, saying you can’t legislate kids into class.
“We need to find ways to engage our students so it’s their decision to stay in school,” he said.
Nova Scotia Teachers Union President, Alexis Allen says the option of witholding credits for poor attendance strikes the right balance.
“I think that’s a step in the right direction,” she said. “Once students know, it’ll help them make a more informed choice.”
She says kids need to be reminded that they’re missing out on a lot more than just the three-R’s when they’re not in school.
“You don’t go to school just for the tests,” she said. “It’s more the dialogue and the conversation and the community within that school and within that class. To miss that you really did get farther behind.”
Members of the education community talk now about making school engaging so kids choose to be there make the choice to get an education.
