Times Colonist Letter
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Re: "Lagging literacy hurts us," opinion, Sept. 9.
Frank McKenna's editorial really tried my literacy skills. There was so much that wasn't said!
It is telling that the lengthy article, even as nebulous as it was, doesn't once mention a primary heart of literacy -- the school library.
Politicians of McKenna's ilk have done all they can to diminish this essential resource.
In B.C., since 2000, 100 teacher librarian jobs have been cut. The B.C. teachers' collective agreement says there should be one full-time teacher librarian for every 702 students.
Only nine per cent of elementary schools and four per cent of B.C.'s secondary schools meet that modest goal.
As with so much else, we're approaching Alberta's neanderthal vision, where the number of teacher librarians has shrunk by more than half in the past decade so there is now one for every 3,000 students.
Sara Shields, Victoria.
