Ministry open house at RSS to focus on rural education

The B.C. Ministry of Education is encouraging Revelstoke and area families to attend an open house on Friday, March 10, 2017, to share their ideas on how to transform rural education in British Columbia.

Ministry of Education staff will host the event at Revelstoke Secondary school (1007 Vernon Ave., Revelstoke) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

In a statement, the ministry said it will be an opportunity for residents to express their thoughts on rural education, sharing stories around the importance of rural schools and rural educational programs in a casual setting. Participants will engage in a more-formal facilitated discussion for the last hour of the meeting.

Linda Larson, the Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Education, said the open house will guide future education policy.

“I’m looking forward to hearing a wide range of perspectives on the challenges and opportunities faced by educators and families in rural communities. All of this feedback is valuable in creating the rural education strategy, which will help guide rural education and community planning for years to come,” Larson said in a statement.

This open house is part of the public engagement process to help develop a rural education strategy by the summer of 2017.

The public can comment on the draft discussion paper summarizing what was heard from the first phase of rural education engagement, which included an online survey and discussion forum, at: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/ruraleducation

All feedback received will help government shape a final report on an integrated rural education strategy, including recommendations for the future. The strategy will aim to find long-term solutions for the unique challenges facing rural school districts and communities, including looking at the important social, cultural and economic roles that schools play for small communities.