Province Moves Forward In Addressing Racial Equity Issues in Education

EDUCATION--Province Moves Forward In Addressing Racial Equity Issues in Education

The province of Nova Scotia has taken significant steps to address the issues of racial equity in education that were raised in the 1994 Black Learners Advisory Committee (BLAC) report.

That's one conclusion found in the Report of the BLAC Implementation Review Committee tabled in the House of Assembly today, Sept. 26.

"Our education system must be accessible and equitable to black learners and their parents," said Education Minister Jamie Muir. "The BLAC Implementation Review Committee report gives us a clear snapshot of how far we have come, and what we need to do to truly achieve that goal."

The BLAC Implementation Review Committee was established in September 2001 by the deputy minister of Education Dennis Cochrane. Its mandate was to examine the status of the recommendations within the 1994 BLAC Report. The committee was also to provide an action plan, including costs, for the implementation of items that have yet to be acted upon.

Recommendations of the BLAC Report that have either been implemented or acted upon include: the establishment of the Council on African Canadian Education; the establishment of an African Canadian Services division within the Department of Education; and the provision of scholarships for African Nova Scotian youths to undertake teacher training.

"We still have some recommendations in the BLAC report that require action," said Charles Sheppard, the chair of the Council on African Canadian Education. "But there is no doubt some significant steps have been taken to date to address the racial equity issues raised in the BLAC report."

Based on the Implementation Review Committee's report, the province has budgeted $4.1 million over the next four years to implement the remainder of the operational recommendations of the BLAC report. These include the hiring of more African Canadian teachers and support workers, the expansion of adult literacy program sites in black communities, and the continued development of programs, resources and learning materials on black history, tradition and culture.

"One of our government's stated commitments is to ensure the education system reflects the diverse nature of Nova Scotia communities," said African Nova Scotian Affairs Minister Barry Barnet. "The BLAC Implementation Review Committee's report clearly shows we are moving in the right direction."

Members of the BLAC Implementation Review Committee included representatives from the Department of Education, the Council on African Canadian Education, the Nova Scotia School Boards Association, the Black Educators Association, the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, the Halifax Regional School Board, the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board, the African United Baptist Association and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.