Education minister to establish provincewide student council
Thirty-two Alberta students will have the ear of the education minister when he strikes a new group come fall.
David Eggen wants students from across the province to apply for his new Minister’s Youth Council, which he said will give him better access to feedback from the people using the education system.
“As minister of education, I get a lot of advice from adults, but I’m missing a critical voice at the table — your voice,” Eggen told teens Monday gathered in the atrium of Harry Ainlay High School.
Eggen said he’ll choose a diverse cross-section of junior and senior high students from across the province to meet with him three times during the 2017-18 school year.
Students will also meet with MLAs and people who work for the education ministry.
Running the council will cost $105,000 a year. The former Progressive Conservative government had a minister’s student advisory council to get similar feedback.
If he had a captive audience of kids today, Eggen would ask them about school programming, including how relevant they believe the curriculum is, and how government could improve specific subject areas.
Grade 11 student Kirsten Dufour, who sits on Edmonton Public Schools’ student senate, said serving on a provincial youth council would be a step toward giving students more say in the education system, and offer opportunities to learn more about government.
“I’m really excited about it. I think it’s a really good initiative for students to get involved in,” Dufour said.
Before she considers whether she’ll apply for a spot, she wants to know more about the council’s focus and how it will work, she said.
Public School Boards’ Association of Alberta president Arlene Hrynyk welcomed the new council as a way to improve student engagement.
“There are no better people in this province who can help identify the gap in our school community than the students,” she said.
Students in Grades 7 to 12 are invited to apply online by May 5.
As minister of education, I get a lot of advice from adults, but I’m missing a critical voice at the table — your voice.