Teachers' debate: Liberals, PCs, NDP all promise review of teacher numbers

The leaders of the province's three main political parties spent over an hourMonday night trying to win support for their education plans, and debating how to best address problems like class sizes, classroom violence, teacher numbersand student support.

The forum was hosted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association the first of three leaders' debates scheduled for this week.

Among the differences in priorities, there was one point of agreement: Liberal Leader Andrew Furey, Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie and NDPLeader Alison Coffin all promised to review the teacher allocation model or the number of teaching hours assigned to each school.

"While I know this is overdue, we are committed to advancing it immediately," said Furey, who promised to start the review as soon as a Liberal government is elected.

He said the department of education is also reviewing class sizes.

Meanwhile Crosbie criticised the Liberals for not already finishing a review of the teacher allocation, something the province's auditor general recommended back in 2016.

• Evaluation of teacher allocation 'overdue': NLTA president Jim Dinn

Crosbiepromised to return class sizes "not just to 2008 levels, but to 2025 levels."

Coffin said the Liberals and Tories haven't taken the concerns of students and teachers seriously in the past.

"We have to fully commit to reviewing our public education system and the investments that need to be made," she said. "If we want a different future, we need to make different choices."

Modernization, internet, more resources

During the debate Furey promised enhanced computer science curriculum from kindergarten to Grade 12, and said he wouldexpand entrepreneurshipand health education.

"Modernizing our education system and empowering educators to ensure that they have the tools to prepare students for the future will be the key element of a new Liberal government," he said.

Crosbie said he would make sure the education system, which he called a human right and public good, would be adequately funded and resourced to fulfil his party platform of jobs and economic growth, "regardless of budgetary pressures."

"We will also ensure that all students have reliable internet access for online learning with 98 per cent coverage by 2024. We believe that students should be supported and have everything it takes to help our province compete for jobs and growth on the world stage, no matter where the school is and no matter what the size of the school," Crosbie said.

Crosbie also criticized the Liberal's pandemic back-to-school plan and raised the spectre of cuts, while Furey touted the Liberals' spending on reading specialists, teaching and learning assistants, and laptops for teachers andstudents.

Coffin called education an investment, not a budget item to be cut.

"We are not saving money when services are lacking in our classrooms. We are just passing these costs on to our health and our social programs. Education must be treated as an investment, not an expense. The new Democratic Party will continue to fight to ensure a public education is adequately resourced," said Coffin.

All three leaders will face each other again Wednesday, in a televised debateat the House of Assembly at 7 p.m.

Before that, the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour is holding a forumwhere Crosbie and Coffin will face each other. Furey won't be there, and St. John's West candidate Siobhan Coady will fill in for him.

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