Ministry Overview

The role of the ministry is to provide funding, establish governance structures, set educational standards, monitor student performance and report the results to the public. These structures and resources provide the framework school boards need to work with schools and communities to improve student and school performance. British Columbia's K-12 system serves approximately 578,800 public school student FTE's, approximately 59,600 independent school student FTE's and over 3,600 home-schooled children.

Improving student achievement is the overarching goal in the ministry and all parts of the education system. Key indicators, Foundation Skills Assessments, completion rates, Grade 12 performance, scholarships and national/international assessments will continue to be used to measure student performance. Over the next three years, the ministry will focus on quality learning, early literacy, physical activity and safety in our schools. To further support improved student achievement, the ministry will follow through on recommendations from the Student Achievement Task Force Report and the Task Force on Rural Education. In addition, the ministry will be working to implement the 2004 Graduation Program. To support our number one goal of improved student achievement, the ministry is committed to local autonomy for school boards, strong accountability measures, increased flexibility and a broader range of choice for students and parents.

School board autonomy means that the ministry will continue to eliminate unnecessary regulations and allow boards to do their work with as few strings attached as possible. It allows locally elected school boards to be more responsive to their communities and gives them the opportunity to explore entrepreneurial opportunities.

Strong accountability measures include individual accountability contracts with each school board, plans for improvement developed by each school, Aboriginal Enhancement Agreements and district reviews. Schools, school boards and the ministry will monitor progress towards improving student performance and will report these results to parents and the community.

Increased flexibility and choice means that schools can offer locally developed programs of particular interest to their region, or develop magnet schools to attract students from all over the province. As well, changes to the School Act allow parents and students to choose a school that matches their child's specific learning needs or interests. Students can now attend any school in the province, provided there is space available.

Involvement of parents and the wider community is critical to the success of the K-12 education system. School Planning Councils are operating in every public school, giving parents a venue for meaningful contribution in developing school improvement goals. Satisfaction surveys will continue to be administered and will enable schools, districts and the ministry to monitor and report publicly satisfaction levels of students, parents and staff in the education system.

British Columbia's system already performs at high levels, which means that future improvements require continued commitment, creativity and innovation on the part of educators, administrators and the ministry in order for the province to remain at the forefront of educational performance.