2 Terrace ‘Review — Wednesday, June 10, 1987

~ Royal corn

TERRACE. Anyone

who attended 1 the recent .

public hearing of the
Royal Commission on
Education in Terrace
discovered that, at this
point, ‘there are more
questions than answers in
the commission’s process.
About 35 local resi-
dents, most of them either
parents or. teachers, gath-
ered in the lecture theater
at Caledonia Senior
Secondary School to ad-
dress questions and. offer
suggestions to Commis-
sioner Barry Sullivan..
Sullivan, a lawyer in the

: Crimina) ' Appeats - and

. Special Prosecutions Divi-
sion on. for the Ministry of
the Attorney General,

seemed.a curious choice to.

head a- broad-based in-
quiry into the provincial
education system. During
the course of the hearing it
became apparent that if
Sullivan doesn’t have a
professional educator’s in-
sight into the system his
legal mind is well-equip-
ped for grappling with the

larger social issues the.
Commission was formed

to examine.
In his preamble Sullivan

called the Royal Commis-

sion .‘‘a large and neces-
‘sary task’’ that will take
into account all ‘submis-
~ sions ‘as well as profes-
sional - education _litera-
ture, models: from other
‘systems: and the accumu-
lated information from
* the government’s ‘‘‘Let’s
. Talk”

‘We have to come to

| grips with the ‘shape. of

coming. society, .ask..our-
selves what skills will be
necessary, determine

‘where we are going and

' what goals and. objectives

7 we wish.to set,’’ he said.
One of the most: com-

About: Schools’:
_ fact-gathering exercise last

~

Barry S Sullivan, appointed t to head the B.C. government’s Royal
Commission on Education, recently spent two days in the Ter-
race area taking submissions and listening to the concerns of
local parents, teachers, students and school administrators.

prehensive i issuies was rais-
ed-at the beginning of the
meeting and it involved:

the role of public schools.

in B.C. society, One par-.

ent expressed: the feeling

that the system should be -
restricted to the ‘three.
R’s’’ type of basic school-.

ing, while others indicated
a wish for more. all-en-
compassing social educa-

tion that would include’

morality and. lifestyles.
Sullivan

pansion would require

‘either longer school. days
‘or a longer:-year, but a

member of the audience
suggested better use of ex-

isting school hours would.
allow a. broader cur-

riculum.
Better and earlier coun-

selling services for stu-_

indicated. the
possibility that such an ex-.

dents also received atten-

- tion; with proposals to

widen the range of coun-

-selling and. make it avail-
able as. early as Grade. 6.
‘One parent-recommiended: .
that students be placed in|

the- workforce before en-
tering the-junior secon-
dary level ‘‘to.give them a
better understanding of

‘why: they’re in school’.

Life skills counselling was
identified as a neglected

area, and a local drug and
‘alcohol counsellor. stated,
- “Many enter Kindergar-
‘teri but relatively few:
‘graduate from ‘Grade 12

because these students

_ don't have the life skills to

cope with what’s demand-

‘ed of them.’’? He recom-

mended an extensive stu-
dent aid and peer counsel-
‘ling program, and ‘he con-

‘north

AUUUONGROUEUALOUEGEUAUEUUGUOVESEOUOSUUUU THOU TUE GUES EEA ME REESE ETE Tay

issio ner tak

‘cluded by ‘pointing: ‘out

that a recent pilot pro-:
gram in one of the local

schools : expected. to. in-
volve six to eight students

‘ended up with 27. :par-

ticipants, all of whom
were in legitimate need. of

counselling. ° .
Problems specific to the’.
identified ‘at. the
meeting included the low

numbers of northern. stu-

dents going into _post-.
secondary education and.
difficulties’ for northern |
districts in attracting and -

keeping personnel. Sulli-
van was told the cost and
availability of. university
education continues’ to

. discourage ‘students: from-

distant areas, and he ‘in-
dicated familiarity with
the ‘staffing problem..‘‘If
you want to be guaranteed
a job, try applying for.a

position as a teacher or.
_ speech therapist in Fort

St. John or - Dawson.

Creek,’? he said. -
‘Sullivan singled out

parental - involvement «in

the school system as: the
‘most important factor in

improving, education, but

he. said non-involvment is ©
‘a difficult problem for the

Commission to approach
because parents who don’t

care about the’system also.

don’t ‘submit: suggestions. .
‘A higher level of involve-
ment. by: parents -would —
‘eclipse. all studies ‘and

other accomplishments
combined,”’ he said.

-The ‘government's - ate
titude’ toward education
was called’ irito ‘question

several. times. One man

pointed out that people.

are asking for more
legitimate services in.

education without receiv-

-ing funds. ‘It’s ‘time to.

enlighten Cabinet on how
important’ education is,”’

he said. In a reference to
the controversial Teaching
Profession Act recently

passed in the B.C.. legis- .

lature, .the man. said,.

‘We're asking teachers to
teach -
‘special: needs, .be counsel-

teach the _ basics,

lors, mentors and a whole
host of things... it’s a very
bad situation,
group. of 30,000. profes-
sional people who are be-

"ing treated with. extreme

disrespect. This problem
will-not.just go away.”

Another man. stated
that education has been

with a.

poorly served. in 1B: Ceby

the political system, and -
he encouraged Sullivan: to.

seek a means of buffering

education from politics...

Sullivan stated that the
Teaching -Profession ‘Act
is now part of the commis-

sion'’s scope since it is now ~
law. **We will be looking.

at the experiences of other. -
jurisdictions in Canada...
‘that do not have these. pro- he
*-blems,’” he said, 0-20 00
" - When the credibility of.
‘the Royal. Commission =.
_ process. was. called into. . :
question, Sullivan. replied

that his is only the second
such commission: in -B.C.
history and the first, in

1920, ‘‘shaped education |.
>, He said...

- this commission intends to.
- examine education “‘from
top to bottom’? and he ex-

as it. is today’

pects the effect to be
‘‘significant’’..

“T have been given’ a

wonderful opportunity at
a critical time to. take a

broad look at education,. .
and it’s needed. [ will:'do
my job, I will produce: a -
report of quality, but it’s.
not my. job to act:- that is .
up to those who are elect-

ed,’” he said..

cea .

“A classified ad in
_ the Terrace Review
_is yours for

_ ONLY sg

(per week, 30 words. or tess).

How do you gét yourad == * Pen
“Into the Review? ee

® drop it in our mail -stot
@ mail it to.us

@ come into our office ©
® phone us .

@-or stop us on. the street.

Th ere” wiit be no billing!: ‘Pay next time. “oak ne
~ ..- e@me-in or‘next.time you see us. We're work:
A Ing. the “Monor System”

” Terrace Review

wo FA, 4535. Greig Ave., Terrace a i
fe sounugceneevcoenuaveaecocnevaceceeaegecocatevnesanonaio genoa =

You don’t have to.

‘

635-2520 —

635:7840

The “Fiducia” singing team from the Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute wilt be singing and —

leading the worship service at Christ: Lutheran Church, 3229 Sparks Street, on Sunday, dune 14,

“Fine Dining

In quiet surroundings! |
5:00 p.m: — 10:00 p.m.. |
4620 LAKELSE AVE. 638- 8141

“Say Nay.

Specializing: ‘in Chinese.
--Guisine and: Canadian.

ST

4

GIM’S
-RESTAU RANT é
" Chinese '& Canadian Food
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK.
Mon-Wed 11:30 AM— 10:00 PM 214}
Thursday :41:30 AM — 11:00. Pc? :

. Dishes a) Fri-Sat 11:30AM — 1:00AM. ~ 2.
* 4808 Gielg Ave., For Take Oat | Sunday 12:00:AM— 10:00 PM -
| Terrace, B.C. PR. e3-8184 8358111

' 4643 Park Avenue. .

YOU:

"can tell your.

~ ATVT LAKELSE AVE
NEXT TO SKEENA MALL

) ‘DONUT

~ 7 faeTORY . mo
3 (o FAG CTORY a ospective don Oy
- om Mullins, Cakes, why they would enjoy ~~
a, | Ice cream, coffee, 16a, visiting your restaurant: .
7 O ' Hot chocolate, Milk, Pop. _ for only $4. 50 per week.

OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY

Loetbeee te