B.C. teachers' strike: No extension to school year to make up for lost time
Education Minister Peter Fassbender says he is confident in teachers
B.C. has no plans to extend the school year to make up for three weeks of class time lost during the teachers' strike, Education Minister Peter Fassbender has confirmed.
"We have clearly agreed that we will move forward with the existing calendar and the remaining hours to make up any learning shortfalls that might have been there."
Fassbender said he's confident teachers will be able to provide students with the education they need regardless of the reduced instructional hours.
"We'll be working through that. We've talked with the post-secondary as it relates to the grades 11 and 12 to make sure that there are no hiccups there for them in writing their exams. We will look at perhaps other exam dates to facilitate that," said Fassbender.
Students will go back to school Monday or Tuesday, depending on individual school districts.
On Thursday teachers voted 86 per cent to accept the deal reached with the government earlier this week and end the three-month strike.
Fassbender said he hopes the relationship between teachers and the province can be healed over the next five years of labour peace under the hard-fought new contract.
But he said a court case between the province and the B.C. Teachers' Federation over class size and composition still has to play out.
The province's appeal of two previous court losses will be heard next month.
With files from The Canadian Press