Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Ministry Goals

The ministry has identified two goals for education:

1. improved student achievement; and

2. a high quality, performance-oriented education system.

The following tables identify the goals, core business areas, objectives, strategies and performance measures that the ministry intends to undertake during the three-year period covered by this Service Plan (2004/05 – 2006/07). Human and financial resources devoted to the ministry's activities in the next three years are indicated in the Resource Summary section on page 8 of this plan.

The baseline figures quoted in the following tables are for the 2002/03 school year and are provincial rates and do not reflect the unique educational challenges of individual districts. Rather than setting arbitrary targets at the provincial level, the ministry has established an accountability framework to improve student achievement results at the district level. Through year-over-year improvements in the district results, the provincial results will be raised.

There is evidence of improvements in system performance already, however efforts must be sustained over the long-term to achieve the stated goals.

Linkages of Goals and Core Business Areas

		Goal 1: Improved student achievement.

		Goal 2: A high quality performance-oriented education system.

Related Initiatives

Deregulation

By 2004/05, the ministry will have met its deregulation targets through the review, elimination or modification of regulations, policies, and practices that have inhibited the ability of school boards to effectively respond to the educational needs of students.

The ministry's regulatory reform reflects the minister's strategic directions, in particular, supporting board autonomy, and greater flexibility and choice for school boards, students and parents. This in turn supports government's strategic plan and the New Era commitment to cut "red tape" and regulatory burden by one-third within three years. (See chart on previous page for percentages for the ministry.)

Risk Management

Government intends that enterprise-wide risk management be applied to decision-making processes for planning, major projects, programs and investments. Through strategic planning processes, the Ministry of Education will formalize its approach to risk management.