The folks over at the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF) must be starting to regret the aggressive propaganda campaign they’ve waged against the provincial government over the past several years.
They’ve basically shot themselves in the foot with their costly disinformation campaign and accomplished little more than erode confidence in the BCTF-run public education system among B.C.’s parents.
The folks at the BCTF would do well to reconsider their disinformation efforts and start talking about the positives and breeding confidence in the education system that employs their members; because all credible evidence shows that B.C.’s education system is one of the best in the world.
For instance, B.C. has a high school completion rate of 81 per cent and an average pass rate of 96 per cent for courses that require a standardized provincial exam.
And in terms of class size, B.C. has one of the lowest student-to-teacher ratios in the country at 16.7 students per teacher/administrator – and despite what the BCTF would claim, it’s been that way for much of the past decade.
The folks at the BCTF seem to have forgotten that it is the province’s parents who ultimately decide whether or not to put their children into the public education system, and to fund that system, and they will only do these things if they have confidence that the system is working well and effective and providing good value and a good education to their children.
So, rather than continually painting the bleakest picture possible, the BCTF’s self-interest, and that of its members, would be much better served by inspiring confidence in the public education system and aligning their message with the facts and the successes of the system.
Fred Reemeyer (parent of two)
Coquitlam
