Saskatchewan’s Education Minister says the Interim Provincial Education Plan developed in 2021-22 to support student in response to the impacts of the pandemic, will be extended for the next school year with the long-term plan to implemented in the fall of 2023. Dustin Duncan says, “The interim plan will continue to emphasize the three key educational priorities for this school year as we work to finalize the full education plan for the next decade.”
They are: mental health and well-being supports for students and staff, including initiatives related to bullying prevention and the promotion of positive mental health and student safety; reading instruction and supports for students in Grades 1 to 5, with reading strategies to help all students, and reading support plans for students who require additional help; and supportive learning opportunities, with schools focusing on engaging and welcoming student and supporting them in literacy and math from Grades 1 through 12. Using these three priorities, school divisions and participating First Nations education authorities will build their own plans in order to meet the unique needs of their students and schools.
The Interim Plan was created in collaboration with school divisions and participating First Nations education authorities, representatives from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), the Métis Nation – Saskatchewan (MN-S), STF Professional Learning and senior Ministry of Education officials.
More detail on the three key priorities:
– Mental health and well-being supports for students and staff: The focus will be on supporting students and teachers in their mental health and well-being through the creation and refinement of mental health and well-being plans for each school system. The school-level plans will address concerns and build upon best practices related to mental health and well-being. This work will be supported by enhanced communication among school systems and government ministries to share knowledge of available supports, services and programming.
The 2022-23 Budget provides $603,000, an increase of $25,000, to support initiatives related to bullying prevention and the promotion of positive mental health and student safety. In addition, The Government of Saskatchewan continues to offer Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training to school divisions, in a continuing focus of having at least one staff member trained in each school in Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions. This makes Mental Health First Aid available to students when needed, similar to physical first aid. As of June 2022, 926 staff received training and 733 out of 736 schools have at least one individual trained in MHFA.
– Reading instruction and supports for students in grades 1 to 5: Reading strategies will be implemented to help all students and reading support plans will target students who require additional supports.
– Supportive learning opportunities: Schools will focus on engaging and welcoming students to school and on supporting students in literacy and math in grades 1 through 12.
