Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Tony Wakeham (MHA for Stephenville-Port au Port) says every area of our province’s education system – from early childhood, to K-12, to post-secondary – is being driven deeper into the same kind of crisis that has decimated our health care system – and the 2023 Budget has shown zero leadership to get education back on track.
- “In early childhood education, the government has wasted years failing to bring fairness and consistency to the pay grid, and now – despite childcare subsidies for parents – there are not enough spaces for parents to send their children to, largely because the government has failed to train enough early childhood educators to create those spaces,” said Wakeham.
- “In the K-12 system, the government for years has been neglecting the serious issues that students, parents, and teachers have been raising, abandoning them to pick up the slack at the expense of their education. All of this is not only hurting teacher recruitment and retention but hurting students and their quality of learning. Our students need us to advocate for their education now more than ever,” he said.
- “At the postsecondary level, the government is continuing to slash funding, drive exorbitant increases in tuition and wash its hands of a university administration that has profoundly lost its way, lost public confidence, jeopardized the university’s reputation and driven students away,” he said.
Wakeham said, “Education is not just a vital service, but the training ground for tomorrow’s leaders of Newfoundland and Labrador. This government’s consistent failure to place a high value on the education of our children and youth is threatening our province’s future, by threatening the futures of every young person in our province.”
“My focus is on securing a future for Newfoundland and Labrador, built on a solid, unshakable foundation. We must stop short-changing our children. We need to focus on raising the quality of education in our province. Leading our children along the pathway to success is also the path to prosperity for our province,” said Wakeham.
“I encourage everyone who is witnessing the erosion of education in your own area to reach out to me. When Budget 2023 is debated in the House of Assembly, I will ensure your voice will be heard and the education of our children is given the priority it deserves,” he said.
