All Posts Tagged With: "new brunswick"
UNB to offer degree in First Nations governance
New Brunswick puts $1million towards aboriginal education
New Brunswick education minister Donald Arseneault announced today that the province plans to put more than $1 million towards recruiting Aboriginals into post-secondary education. According to a government release, the money will go towards implementing various Aboriginal-focused programs in the province’s higher education institutions.
The government says the University of New Brunswick:
- Will hire an Aboriginal recruiting officer to recruit and provide support to Aboriginal students.
- Will appoint an Aboriginal elder-in-residence to work with the UNB Mi’kmaq Maliseet Institute. Funding will be used to develop specialized curricula to include a First Nations perspective; to develop math, literacy, science and social science courses for pre-service teacher education programs; and to develop community literacy and math outreach programs.
- Will establish a bachelor’s degree in First Nations governance and management as an extension of the existing certificate program. It will be the first undergraduate degree of its kind in Canada.
While UNB will be home to the most comprehensive list of programs, initiatives tasked with bringing an aboriginal perspective to higher education will be implemented at the Université de Moncton, Saint Thomas University, and New Brunswick Community College. The government release also says the education department will be developing a “provincial strategy and action plan to increase participation of Aboriginal persons in post-secondary education in New Brunswick.”
Funding hasn’t restored service for N.B. students: unions
Say a quarter of nearly 600 laid-off staff members have not been re-hired
The New Brunswick government may have reversed $2.9 million in cuts to school support staff, but union leaders claimed Tuesday that it hasn’t restored the same level of service.
CUPE spokeswoman Sandy Harding said a quarter of the 588 teacher assistants, library assistants and behaviour intervention workers who received lay-off notices in June have not been rehired.
“The situation is far from being back to normal,” said Harding.
“Some support staff have seen their hours reduced drastically while others will work in two or three schools in order to be able to put in the same amount of hours they had before.”
The money was originally cut in the spring budget, but Education Minister Roland Hache reversed the decision last month shortly after taking on the portfolio in a cabinet shuffle.
Harding told reporters that many parents are under the false impression that when the provincial government reversed the budget cut in July, it fully restored services.
“We’re really worried about the integrity of an inclusive education system if you have to pair up three different students in three different grades…the impact will be there, and it will be there for the other students as well.”
But Valmond Guimond, director of human resources for the Department of Education, said some school districts are still assigning staff for the upcoming school year and he expects the actual number of layoffs will be very low.
He said with eight of the 14 districts reporting so far there have been 21 layoffs.
Another 102 employees have had their hours reduced – about half of them losing just two hours per week.
Guimond said some of the layoffs could result from budget cuts in other areas and declining student enrolment – down about 3,500 this year.
St. Thomas U’s president resigns
After 20 years spent in administration, Higgins wanted to “redirect his energy”
The president of St. Thomas University in Fredericton has resigned, citing a desire to work on other projects during the final years of his academic career.
Michael Higgins has been president of the university for three years.
In a statement today, Higgins says he has committed to write two books and a documentary series, as well as conduct research in the area of Catholic higher education.
He says after 20 years in university administration it was time to redirect his energy.
The university’s board of governors has accepted the resignation, which takes effect at the end of December.
Board chairwoman Andrea Seymour says the search for a new president could take up to 18 months.
- The Canadian Press
University students concerned over debt-cap requirements
Student alliance canvassing students on debt-cap concerns
In New Brunswick, once a student has completed their university degree they can apply for the new Timely Completion Benefit, which caps their student loan debt at $26,000.
The president of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, Duncan Gallant, has raised the issue that students can be disqualified if they have not completed their degree within the time limit set by their specific program.
For example, if a student takes longer than four years to complete a four-year undergraduate degree due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, they will not be eligible for the debt cap.
Post-secondary students are being asked to contact the New Brunswick Student Alliance if they are one of the students ineligible for the benefit, in the hope that they can appeal the restriction.
For the complete CBC News story, click here.
More bang for your buck
Dalhousie stops accepting credit cards for tuition to save on transaction fees
For the story, click here.
N.B. gov’t reverses cuts to education program funding
Minister restores $2.9m, saves jobs of hundreds of library and teaching staff
The New Brunswick government is reversing a $2.9 million cut to school districts and will reinstate services to school libraries and intervention programs.
Education Minister Roland Hache says the money will come from the $5 million Innovative Learning Fund – a program heralded by former minister Kelly Lamrock to provide grants for specialized education projects.
Hache says the fund will get $1 million, and projects already announced will be honoured.
The initial cuts to the school districts meant the loss of about 300 library assistants, teachers assistants, and behavioural intervention workers, while close to 300 more would have seen their hours reduced.
Sandy Harding of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says she’s working with government to ensure all the job cuts will be reversed.
Brent Shaw, president of the New Brunswick Teachers Association, says having a new minister in the job made the difference in getting the funding issue resolved.
- The Canadian Press
Mount Allison students ask for higher fees
With nearly 80 per cent of the vote, students say yes to a new “green fee”
According to The Sackville Tribune, Mount Allison students have overwhelmingly voted to raise their own student fees by $10. For the planet, that is.
In a recent student referendum, nearly 80 per cent of students voted in favour of the hike, the proceeds of which will purportedly go towards reducing carbon emissions both on and off-campus. The new fee will probably bring in between $20,000 to $24,000 every year.
The so-called SAC Green Investment Fund will fund carbon offsetting projects in the city, which could include solar and geo-thermal projects, installing higher-quality insulation in some buildings and partnering with local business to develop tree nurseries.
According to the group, priority will be given to projects that reduce the most carbon in the shortest period of time.
Student council president Mike Currie says some of the council’s representatives have already met with a number of municipal officials to discuss potential coordination.
“My conversations with town councillors and other members of the community have been very positive,” he says. “Although this is the first project of its kind that we are aware, the town has stressed that it is possible that we will be able to leverage the fund to work on joint projects of even greater impact.”
The environmental fund will be governed by an all-student committee that will solicit project recommendations from university staff and faculty, town representatives, university administration, and local climate change experts starting this fall.
Religious university head defends student aid program
N.B. program would limit student debt at graduation, even for private institutions
The CBC is reporting that the president of one of the New Brunswick’s three religious universities is defending the province’s decision to include the school’s students in a new debt-limiting program, despite the fact that the institution is private.
Critics argue that private universities shouldn’t be getting financial help while public universities are starved for cash.
The provincial government announced the Timely Completion Benefit in May. In the program, all post-secondary students who qualifies for the benefit will not have to pay back more than $26,000 in federal and provincial student loans as long as they graduate within the program’s set timeframe.
David Medders, the president of Bethany Bible College in Sussex, told the CBC that the the debt-cap program benefits students and not the school’s operating budget. He said it’s absurd to say the religious school shouldn’t be eligible for any government programs just because it’s private.
“If you took that [argument to its] logical conclusions, we shouldn’t receive city water because part of the taxpayers money in Sussex supports a town water system,” says Medders. “So you have to have some common sense, somewhere along the line in this. And I think where the government has struck that line — we call it a pluralistic society, and it’s mutual respect.”
Miriam Jones, a professor at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, told the CBC that the decision to allow these religious school to have access to the student debt-cap policy is a bad idea. She says the colleges are allowed to have Christian-only hiring policies because they’re private and that status should extend to funding.
“They shouldn’t get any public money unless they’re part of the public system and willing to subscribe to the standards and meet the criteria that the rest of us have to meet,” she says.
For more on this story, click here.
Despite opposition, N.B. premier gets honorary degree
More than 100 faculty signed a letter of protest opposing the honour
To polite applause from the crowd, Premier Shawn Graham accepted an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of New Brunswick on Wednesday, despite earlier opposition from more than 100 members of the faculty.
Jack Gegenberg, a professor of mathematics at UNB, called it an insult to graduating students.
“By including him in that process of awarding degrees, then it’s a slap in the face to students who had to pay too much to get an education which is being squeezed by the government,” he said.
“Students have had to struggle too hard financially and in other ways to get the kind of education that they want, and it’s certainly because of government policies that maybe they aren’t quite getting their money’s worth.”
The profs are upset that a report sponsored by Graham’s Liberal government recommended major changes to the structure of UNB and the University of Moncton.
The government backed away from the changes as a result of widespread protest.
The open letter signed by the profs states in part that “regardless of any other contributions Mr. Graham might have made to this point in his career, his actions in this respect cannot be regarded as having made an outstanding contribution to our communities, nor do they show regard for higher education in the province.”
Graham, who graduated from UNB 18 years ago with a degree in physical education, told the commencement crowd that he’s pleased people can challenge him.
“What I learned here at UNB was that people who challenged my opinions weren’t enemies,” he said. “Those who made me think about my views did me a favour.”
Despite controversy, N.B. premier will accept university degree
About 100 staff and faculty sign letter of protest
Premier Shawn Graham says he is humbled by the University of New Brunswick’s decision to give him an honorary degree, despite protests about the honour in the university community.
Graham says the debate around the degree is what universities are all about.
Robert Whitney, a professor at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, is one of the authors of a protest letter, signed by about 100 faculty and staff from the school’s Saint John and Fredericton campuses.
The letter states it would be “impossible” to forget Graham’s proposed changes to post-secondary education.
Graham’s government was forced by widespread protests to back away from changes recommended in a controversial report, including changing the UNB satellite campus in Saint John into a polytechnic institution.
Some of the recommendations would have seen major changes to the structure of the University in New Brunswick in Saint John and the University of Moncton.
- The Canadian Press
UNB students petition for wrongfully convicted man
Dying Ontario man was convicted of murder in New Brunswick 34 years ago
A group of law students has collected more than 1,000 signatures through an online petition in the effort to get compensation for a dying Ontario man who was wrongfully convicted of murder in New Brunswick 34 years ago.
Erin Walsh was convicted in 1975 of killing Melvin (Chi Chi) Peters in Saint John, N.B., and served 10 years in prison before getting parole, but was acquitted last year after new information was uncovered.
Walsh, who has colon cancer, has launched a civil suit that names the province, the Crown prosecutor in the original trial, the City of Saint John and Saint John Police as defendants.
University of New Brunswick student Shane Martinez says other provinces have compensated people who were wrongfully convicted, and New Brunswick needs to do the same.
Government officials have declined specific comment on Walsh while the civil suit is before the courts.
Premier Shawn Graham has asked Business New Brunswick Minister Greg Byrne, who was attorney general and minister of justice from 1997 to 1999, to temporarily oversee the file for the province.
- The Canadian Press
New Brunswick’s education error
Spending limited resources helps rich students as much as poor
This year’s award for Worst Spin by a Politician in a Post-secondary Performance goes to …. insert drumroll… Premier Shawn Graham of New Brunswick!
According to a front page story in last Wednesday’s Times & Transcript, the province’s Liberal government is considering scrapping a planned universal $2,000 grant for first-year N.B. university students.
The grant was a campaign promise when the Liberals won the 2006 provincial election.
The fact the government is giving post-secondary education a hard look as it searches for ways to save money isn’t a surprise, nor is it a scandal. What is shocking, however, is the complete ignorance shown by the Premier in addressing the file and his lack of understanding of how to effectively spend public funds in order to improve access to education.
The Premier claims he has “an $8-million budgetary envelope” to spend in additional funds for post-secondary access. The Times & Transcript quotes him saying that money would be better spent on a tuition freeze.
New Brunswick’s student unions are calling on the Premier to aim that money towards those who need it most by creating a debt cap in the province. Capping debt was a recommendation from the government’s Commission on Post-Secondary Education, which recommended a cap of $7,000 per year.
Graham rejected the idea point-blank, saying his government can’t afford it. “New Brunswick would have been the only jurisdiction in Canada to move forward on such an initiative,” he told Times & Transcript.
The provinces of Ontario, Alberta, and Newfoundland and Labrador already have debt caps. The claim by Graham that New Brunswick would be the only province with such a cap is incorrect. Actually, using this as a measure, New Brunswick is lagging behind the other provinces.
Saying his government can’t afford to provide targeted support to students is incorrect as well. It’s not that he can’t do it, it’s that he prefers to provide the same levels of support to all students—from the richest to the most-needy—by freezing tuition and providing tax credits. Taking that limited pot of money and devoting more of it to lower-income students would make more sense.
This is another example of what’s wrong with post-secondary education politics in this country. Instead of good public policy, politicians try to win votes and get photo-ops from money that should be spent improving access.
Starting with this post, I will be tracking attempts by the provincial governments to save money during the recession by cutting post-secondary education. Doesn’t it feel like the early 1990s? Follow the tag: 2009 Recession Cuts.
N.B. companies sign millions worth of education contracts in Beijing
Deals include a $65-million contract to train at least 600 new Chinese pilots
New Brunswick companies have signed $85 million in new contracts, including some multi-million-dollar education deals, during the first day of a week-long trade mission to China.
The deals, signed today in Beijing, include a five-year $65-million contract for the Moncton Flight College to train at least 600 new Chinese pilots.
CANLink Aviation of Saint John signed a $500,000 agreement with Beihang University to provide specialized English-language support in the field of aviation.
Meanwhile, Atlantic Education International of New Brunswick signed a five-year $10-million agreement with AKD International to provide New Brunswick curriculum and support to schools in China.
A second $10-million deal will establish a new school in Anhui province that will also use the New Brunswick high school curriculum.
Premier Shawn Graham, who is in China, says the trade mission represents a huge trade opportunity for his province.
- The Canadian Press
New Brunswick to train people on EI
More than $68 million will be coming to New Brunswick Friday to provide training opportunities for those unable to access training under EI programs. The federal government will sign a labour market agreement with the province during a news conference at the New Brunswick Community College. Saint John MP Paul Zed says the deal will [...]
More than $68 million will be coming to New Brunswick Friday to provide training opportunities for those unable to access training under EI programs. The federal government will sign a labour market agreement with the province during a news conference at the New Brunswick Community College.
Saint John MP Paul Zed says the deal will play an important role in helping to ensure the province has the skills to reach self-sufficiency.
Details will be worked out with the province.
-with a report from CP
NB fails miserably at graduating bilingual students
Government considers canning early French immersion
The New Brunswick government will consult with the public before acting on a controversial new report that recommends eliminating one of the cornerstones of bilingual education — early French immersion.
Education Minister Kelly Lamrock said Wednesday he likes what he sees in the report, which calls for a major overhaul of French second-language programs, including just one immersion option beginning in Grade 6. Lamrock said that as Canada’s only officially bilingual province, New Brunswick has an obligation to lead the way in developing more effective programs to ensure as many children as possible are bilingual.
The Liberal government says it wants 70 per cent of students to be bilingual by 2012. At the moment, only a fraction of graduating students have proficiency in French.
“If we are to be leaders in bilingual education, then it is incumbent upon us to choose programs that the evidence shows make people bilingual,” Lamrock said. “I like the idea of teaching it (French) to everybody to the best of our ability.”
The report’s authors, Patricia Lee and Jim Croll, say the current system for French second-language education is a failure. In the basic core program, where most New Brunswick students are educated, only 28 of 55,000 students reached the provincial standard of intermediate, oral proficiency in French last year — a rate of .68 per cent.
Croll said that works out to a staggering cost of $367,000 per child. “Clearly, the core program is not doing very well,” he said. Croll and Lee also found major fault with the early immersion program, in which children are taught exclusively in French beginning in kindergarten or Grade 1.
Many educators believe it is best to start children in a second language at a very young age, and a number of New Brunswick parents have fought hard to maintain the early immersion option. But Croll said research shows that of the roughly 1,500 kids who started in early immersion in 1995, 91 per cent dropped out of the program by the time they reached high school. He said the cost of early immersion works out to about $33,500 per child.
“I have no issue with early immersion,” he said. “It may be the Cadillac of French language programs. But if 91 per cent of the children in the program are not reaching the provincial attainment level, one might question whether it is suitable for all children in New Brunswick.”
Croll said the late immersion option has a much higher rate of success with over 17 per cent of its graduates meeting the proficiency test, although the test is a lower standard than it is for early immersion students. He said late immersion is more acceptable to students.
Croll and Lee are recommending intensive French for all students beginning in Grade 5. Once the students are in Grade 6, they would have the option of going into immersion or continuing in the core program. The report says that French instruction in the core program should be enriched and should continue until Grade 12.
Walter Lee, spokesman for the lobby group Canadian Parents for French, is highly critical of the report. “New Brunswick would be throwing the baby out with the bath water if it follows these recommendations,” Lee told reporters in Fredericton after the report was released. “They would be replacing the Cadillac of French language programs with an untried, untested program that is designed to produce lower results.”
Lamrock would not give a deadline for making any decisions.
-with a report from CP
