"FAMILIES FIRST" PREEM STRIKES AGAIN
B.C. government ends kids' science program
A
popular program that brought science learning to hundreds of thousands
of children across the province will come to an end after Premier
Christy Clark's BC Liberal government stopped its funding.
The chair of Science World's board of directors said Thurs-day his organization will no longer be able to run the BC Program for the Awareness and Learning of Science (BC PALS), which included a series of educational science programs in communities across the province.
"Science World [would] roll up in a truck and it [would] take its hands-on, highly visual and entertaining form of science learning to kids that just don't get to experience that," said Andrew Harries.
"Why it's so important is we are of the view that graduates in science, technology, engineering and math are the natural resources of the future," he added.
"Any government that doesn't recognize that is shortchanging its society."
Over the past seven years, organizers say, the program has reached an annual aver-age of 190,000 people in communities such as Dease Lake, Haida Gwaii and Invermere.
The program also allowed free field trips to Vancouver's Telus World of Science for kids in kindergarten through Grade 7. It also included career networking events, allowing high school students to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Harries said money from Science World's gate receipts and donors helped to fund the PALS program, but "those funds are certainly inadequate to run the program without the government contribution."
Provincial funding for the BC PALS program began in 2005, when the Ministry of Education gave Science World a $5-million grant over five years.
Funding was extended during the province's Year of Science in 2010-11 and then again last year when the province contributed $1 million toward BC PALS.
But this year, Education Minister George Abbott told Science World there was no money to renew the funding.
Grahame Rainey, president of the BC Science Teachers Association, said PALS was a very effective way to get kids interested in science.
New Democratic Party education critic Robin Austin called the decision "dreadful."
jfowlie@vancouversun.com
The chair of Science World's board of directors said Thurs-day his organization will no longer be able to run the BC Program for the Awareness and Learning of Science (BC PALS), which included a series of educational science programs in communities across the province.
"Science World [would] roll up in a truck and it [would] take its hands-on, highly visual and entertaining form of science learning to kids that just don't get to experience that," said Andrew Harries.
"Why it's so important is we are of the view that graduates in science, technology, engineering and math are the natural resources of the future," he added.
"Any government that doesn't recognize that is shortchanging its society."
Over the past seven years, organizers say, the program has reached an annual aver-age of 190,000 people in communities such as Dease Lake, Haida Gwaii and Invermere.
The program also allowed free field trips to Vancouver's Telus World of Science for kids in kindergarten through Grade 7. It also included career networking events, allowing high school students to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Harries said money from Science World's gate receipts and donors helped to fund the PALS program, but "those funds are certainly inadequate to run the program without the government contribution."
Provincial funding for the BC PALS program began in 2005, when the Ministry of Education gave Science World a $5-million grant over five years.
Funding was extended during the province's Year of Science in 2010-11 and then again last year when the province contributed $1 million toward BC PALS.
But this year, Education Minister George Abbott told Science World there was no money to renew the funding.
Grahame Rainey, president of the BC Science Teachers Association, said PALS was a very effective way to get kids interested in science.
New Democratic Party education critic Robin Austin called the decision "dreadful."
jfowlie@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
4 comments:
Down with education and up with VANDU and Harm Seduction! Methinks too many BC politicians have been using a little too much MDMA!
Let's see now:
A $500 million convertible roof for BC Place, hmmmmm yum, yum.
$1.5 billion more for the Canada Line subway, instead of LRT on Arbutus, always a pleaser with the Liberal blue rinse crowd.
Oh by the way, there is also $175 million for new SkyTrain turnstiles that will not prevent fare evasion; quick, no one tell TransLink that most transit companies are doing away with turnstiles, in favour of chip embedded fare cards. The past is a different country, they do things differently back then.
A billion dollar+ Port Mann Bridge replacement a recently refurbished Port Mann Bridge; just don't take the Puttullo as the damn thing may collapse at any minute.
And yes, Premier photo-op has decided to spend $5 million on advertising, telling everyone how happy we will be paying $5 tolls crossing the new bridge; hmmmm more yum, yum.
Billions of dollars to political friends so they can pretend they produce green power; take that you greenies.
A $5 billion+ Gateway highways project instead of a $500 million truck route; golly gee whiz folks we just got to keep the BC Road builders Association happy, not to mention the heavily subsidized trucking industry.
And they can't find a few shekels to actually fund programs to teach kids science.
Yes I thought so, supposed family friendly Premier photo-op, isn't as family friendly as she would like us to think.
I read and agreed evils piece. I have but one question. How does he think that trucking is heavily subsidized?
13
An answer for 13. Every European study on trucking has shown that commercial vehicles do about 80% damage on roads and highways and is the reason why in many European countries, commercial vehicles are forced on a train if they are transiting (driving through) a country.
A Vancouver city Engineer told me that commercial vehicles do the majority of damage to the underground appliances and infrastructure.
It has been very well oiled and lucrative lobbyists from the trucking industry and their political friends that has kept the public from knowing that the trucking industry is heavily subsidized by the taxpayer.
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