Outdated books, broken equipment: resources still lacking for schools, BCTF says
B.C. Teachers' Federation president touring province ahead of new school year
As British Columbia gears up for the new academic year, the B.C. Teachers' Federation is warning that schools still don't have sufficient resources.
Glen Hansman, president of the federation, is travelling the province this month and visiting B.C.'s 60 school districts to gauge how ready they are for the upcoming school year.
"Unfortunately, not all teachers are able to access accurate up-to-date textbooks," Hansman said. "Lots of science labs simply aren't stocked with beakers that aren't broken or Bunsen burners that burn."
Many school districts are using books from 20 years ago and "rely on doing Google searches to get current information," he added.
Filling the gaps
The lack of necessary and modern equipment is felt across all areas of B.C. schools, from libraries to gyms to classrooms, Hansman told Renee Filippone, guest host of CBC's The Early Edition.
The cost of supplying schools — which should be the responsibility of the provincial government — is often passed on, he said.
"Parents do an awful lot of fundraising that they shouldn't have to do and the average classroom teacher is also spending quite a bit of their own money," he said.
B.C. Minister of Education Rob Fleming agreed that parents and teachers should not be expected to make up the difference in funding but said that Hansman's examples are anecdotal and don't capture the full picture.
"We have school districts in a very healthy surplus position around B.C. right now. They have cash on hand to be able to buy things like 3D printers, you see iPads as a feature in even early grades," he said.
More 'momentum' needed
Fleming said in the first 15 months of the current NDP government, a funding lift of roughly $580 million has been given to schools around the province.
"Does that mean that there aren't some outdated textbooks still in use in some parts of the province? No, it definitely doesn't. But I think what you're hearing from school boards and people working in the system … is a lot of outdated equipment is being replaced."
Hansman acknowledged that improvements are underway but said he would like to see faster progress.
"It's understood that some things take time but we are now going into the second school year for which the current government is responsible for," he said.
"We would like to see some momentum on some of the cost pressures that every school district in the province faces."
With files from The Early Edition