Public education is good for the economy and a healthy democracy, but most importantly, public education is good for people. Viewpoints Research recently conducted a public survey on behalf of the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation, revealing that public education is underfunded and under-resourced.
British Columbians want the BC NDP to fulfill their campaign promises.
During the 2024 BC provincial election, the BC NDP made two key campaign promises on education.
- Provide an Education Assistant (EA) in every primary classroom (kindergarten to grade 3)
- Provide every public school with a mental health counsellor
75% say an EA in every primary classroom is somewhat (29%) or very (46%) important. 80% say a mental health counsellor in every school is somewhat (26%) or very (54%) important.
Public education has deteriorated over recent years.
52% of respondents said that BC’s education has deteriorated in the past five years, with insufficient funding to schools being the number one reason (24%).
This is a 24% rise in those who say education has deteriorated compared to 2021 (28%), but a 6% drop compared to 2023 (58%).
It’s no surprise that with a majority feeling like education has deteriorated, there is high support for the NDP’s campaign promises.
British Columbia’s teacher shortage is no secret.
Almost three quarters of British Columbians (74%) believe there is a teacher shortage, a number that Viewpoints and BCTF have seen rising since 2018. Less teachers mean students get less individual attention and therefore may not have sufficient support to excel.
Still, 67% have a positive impression of teachers and 74% say hiring more teachers is a high or extremely high priority.
The priorities are clear: more funding, more programs, and more support.
The number one priority is ensuring students have basic math, reading, and writing skills (94%).
The next top priorities are increasing skilled job training and apprenticeships in high schools (77%), increasing funding so schools aren’t relying on teacher and parent fundraising (75%), hiring more teachers (74%), and expanding extra support for students who need it (72%).
The message from British Columbians is clear. To ensure a bright future for BC, students need access to the right resources and opportunities. That means sufficient time with teachers, skilled job training, mastering the basics — and the financial investment to make it all happen.
Public education is one of the many elements to building a better BC. Students and teachers need support, and now is the time to invest in them.
See BCTF’s news release for more information.